


Don't be scared

by Not_so_platonic_stares



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Bi Dean, Castiel has a bad past, Emotional Hurt, F/F, F/M, FBI Agent Castiel, FBI Agent Dean Winchester, Hate to Love, Human Castiel, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, Meg and cas had a thing, Past Abuse, Past Balthazar/Castiel, Physical hurt, Slow Burn, Smut, Things may change or whatever, everyone ships it, i will inform you if this is so, men of letters characters, more tags will be added, other warning will be included in notes on that chapter, sorry if it's total trash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2018-08-19 03:40:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 132,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8188228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_so_platonic_stares/pseuds/Not_so_platonic_stares
Summary: Dean was pissed, Sam had left the FBI which means he needs a new partner and of course he's stuck with agent Castiel Novak, the handsome asshole who's never heard of fun. But what happens when Dean gets a big crush on the guy and Castiel just wants to get close despite what he told himself.





	1. Chapter one

"This is bullshit" Dean said pacing his boss, Bobby singers office.  
"I know, I heard you the first twenty times" "and quit pacing your makin' me dizzy, get your ass in a chair" Bobby grumbled, Dean glared but sat down in a chair opposite Bobbys desk  
"Why him? He's an asshole, what about Jo" Dean whined once again.Bobby rolled his eyes  
"You don't even know the guy and if you haven't realised Jo works with ash so shut your trap and sit still he'll be here soon" Bobby sat up a straighter and then looked over at Dean who had his arms crossed "and quit poutin' your an FBI agent not a toddler"  
"I was not-"  
"Agent Novak to see you sir" Bobby's secretary Hester said at the door  
"Thanks Hester let him in" Hester smiled and stepped aside and let Castiel in, now yes maybe the uptight agent was an asshole but he wasn't ugly, his suit was clearly not cheap, it fitted perfectly over his toned chest and arms, it was dark blue with a white and blue striped tie, his cheek bones were high and cast shadows down on his tan cheeks, his jaw was curved perfectly and his eyes were the brightest blue Dean had ever seen...but he was an asshole.  
"Agent Novak right on time, as usual" Bobby said standing up and putting his hand out  
"Of course sir" Castiel said shaking Bobbys hand.  
"This is agent Dean Winchester" Dean stood up and put his hand out, Castiel looked over at him looking straight into his eyes almost paralysing Dean, well thats what if felt like.  
"Agent" Castiel's deep voice woke Dean from his trance, Dean coughed, Castiel took his hand and shook it slowly.  
"Agent" Dean frowned at his voice that had gone a thousand pitches higher, Castiel took his hand away and turned back to Bobby, Dean coughed and then turned back to Bobby too.  
"Now I know you two have had some objections against working together but we haven't got much options so your stuck with eachother, clear?" They both nodded "now get out of my office and go talk to Charlie, she might have a case for you" they nodded again and Bobby gave Dean a warning look before they both left.  
They walked towards the elevator in silence, giving each other a quick glance or two as they reached the elevator.  
The trip down to the floor below was awkward, Dean didn't know what to say but Castiel didn't really look like he wanted to talk anyway...well he didn't look like anything at all, his face was still, he didn't look pissed off and he didn't look exited, just looking around with those bright eyes which Dean can't see why there on such an expressionless face. But this is what Dean wanted right? He's not being insulted or anything so why is he disappointed.  
"CHARLIE THOSE WERE MY POP TARTS" Kevin stomped past them and into Charlie and his office. Stepping in they find Charlie with her feet up on the table, mouth stuffed with pop tart  
"You can't prove it" she said,muffled by food. Dean coughed and they both turned. Charlie swallowed  
"Oh hey Dean, your here for that case right?"  
"Yep" Dean replied  
"Hey Novak, I heard you were being partnered with Dean...Don't let Dean do anything stupid for me will ya?" she said smirking over at Dean who glared back at her  
"Uh yeah sure" Castiel said not quite understanding it was a joke.  
"So about the case" Dean said  
"Yeah, its vamps this nest is big but the entire family is all over America, might even be international, their killing this time, Colorado and the hot spot, Fort Collins but their good, not just some small nest these guys know what their doing" Charlie handed the file to Castiel. The department Dean works in specialises in the supernatural, its separate to the rest, covers up the cases so no one discovers what's really killing their family and friends and Deans family has been in it since the beginning, his mom and dad were partners and that's how they met, their family's before that, so Sam and him grew up working to be as good as their parents, Sam was always wanting out and he got his a couple of days ago, he proposed to his girlfriend Jess and decided risking his life everyday and worry Jess of him never coming back wasn't worth it so he quit, Deans proud but upset, he didn't want to do it without his brother, but what would his dad think? Dean has gone over this several times and he's still unsure.  
"Call in when you get there, Dean try to drive safe" Charlie woke Dean from his thoughts _once again_  
"Yeah yeah" Dean said rolling his eyes at Charlie, they headed back to the elervator and pressed the button for it to come back up.  
"So we'll get our stuff and start our drive?" Dean asked.  
"Yes I already have some stuff here so I just need to go get it" Castiel said, stepping into the elervator.  
"Cool, shall I meet you at the parking lot?" Dean asked as Castiel pressed a button  
"Yes, you have the impala right?" He asked handing over the file  
"Yeah how'd you know?"  
"You can't really miss it, hear it before you see it" Castiel stood besides the women already inside and Dean next to him. Dean smirked slightly, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at that.

Eventually Castiel reached his car and got into the passenger side, putting his duffle bag in the back seat.  
"Let's get going then" Dean said putting the key in the ignition, hearing the familiar purr of the engine. Castiel picked up the files and opened it, reading through papers silently as Dean drove out of the underground parking lot and out onto the streets.  
"So are they targeting anyone specifically or at random?" Dean asked  
"It seems to be women and men, aged between twenty and forty, all different jobs and family's" Dean nodded "your driving over the speed limit you know" Castiel said looking over at him, Dean looked back at him  
"Yeah?" Castiel frowned "and?"  
"I see what Charlie meant now"  
"I may drive over the speed limit but I won't get us killed if that's what your worried about" Dean said, speeding up slightly just to see how Castiel would react  
"That's what people who get into car accidents say" Castiel said, Dean scoffed  
"Since when did they say that?"  
castiel fell silent, Dean looked over, castiel was looking out the window clenching his jaw and looking even more tense than he was before. The car fell silent so he got out a black Sabbath tape and popped it in to drown out the awkward silence.


	2. chapter two

Deans driven for longer in a day than Colorado but this time it felt like weeks. Awkwardness still weaved it's way past the music Dean had put on and the minutes felt like hours.Half way through Deans stomach started to rumble as he hadn't eaten since they'd left.  
"I think we should make a stop, find some food" Dean said turning off the main road with a welcome sign to a small town. Castiel hummed and went back to staring out the window. Dean rolled his eyes and entered the town, looking at his phone quick he checked the time _3:45_ , the timing was alright so he went round the town once to find a diner suitable and then found a place to park. Feeding the meter him and Castiel headed down the sidewalk.  
Once they got to the diner Dean ordered a bacon cheese burger with fries and a coke whilst Castiel ordered some salad thing which reminded Dean of Sam but with sam it felt different, just a Sammy thing but with Castiel it just annoyed him. They sat at a table against the window facing out to the street. Dean almost laughed out loud as he watched Castiel place a napkin on his thighs and started to silently eat his salad. Dean ignored him and took a massive bite of his burger, grease coating his lips and fingers as he tried to keep the huge amounts of bacon in the burger. Castiel sipped his water and looked over at Dean with a grimace.  
"what?" Dean asked through a mouthful of burger, Castiel cringed at Deans manners, smirking Dean ate with even worse table manners as he watched Castiel pick at his salad with disinterest.  
"what? not gunna eat your food " Dean asked throwing some fries into his mouth. Castiel glared, bright blue eyes stabbed into Dean causing him to almost choke on his fries.  
"your manners are appalling" Castiel said pushing his food forward not taking his eyes off Dean. Dean coughed and took a gulp of his coke, wetting his very dry throat.  
Eventually they were back on the road driving the last hours to Colorado.

 

*********************************************

Finally they got to Fort Collins,Dean was tired and it was late, the light long gone from the sky. It was cold and the streets were almost empty besides some people dressed up for whatever occasion. Dean found the cheapest motel and parked, Castiel said he'd get the room so he exited the car before Dean had even turned the engine off, clearly looking for an excuse to be away from Dean.  
Castiel returned as Dean got the bags out, holding the key in his hand and took his bag from Dean .  
"room 42" he said already heading to to the stairs that were on the outside to the row of doors to the yellow colored motel, Dean sighed and followed after.

The room was what you expected, the walls were a sickly yellow and the carpet was worn out with tracks from the table to the doors and beds, clearly the place hasn't been renovated in while. Castiel placed the folder on the chipped white table and put his bag on the bed furthest from the door. The silence was deafening.  
"I'm gunna take a shower" Dean said un-doing his tie, Castiel nodded looking over briefly from getting things out of the folder and watching the movement of Dean taking off his tie, the stare was heavy but quick he went back to the case. Dean frowned and coughed, his skin heating.  
He grabbed his things and rushed into the bath room and decided to ignore the stare and the fact that it got him all flustered. The bathroom was small and there was mold in the corner off the ceiling, he felt like he might catch something if he got naked in here but Dean didn't have any other options.  
The shower was warm, edging cold and it was cramped so all around it was rather un-pleasant. He dried off as much as he could in the small room and then got into his sweat pants and black t-shirt.  
When he got out, Castiels jacket was hung on the back of a chair and found him sticking things that looked like the case with red tape connecting a few.  
"already working huh?" he said putting his clothes away.  
"that is why we're here isn't it?" he replied looking back over everything.  
"figured anything out Sherlock?" Dean said sitting on his bed.  
"yes, the killing were all on the outskirts of town, the forest practically surrounds the town so the vamps have all that land to hide in" Dean nodded  
"was there any witnesses?"  
"a group of teens were hanging out one night, swore they saw something but I don't know whether that's just the large amount of weed they were smoking or not" Dean chuckled slightly, Castiel didn't seem to catch onto his own humor shockingly.  
"so we can talk to them tomorrow and then check the area that they were in, vamps wont be too far from food" Dean said standing up and looking over the rather impressive work cas had done in less than thirty minutes "good job cas" he noticed what he just said and felt his cheeks heating up  
_cas? you giving your asshole partner nicknames now?_  
Castiel stared at him brow scrunched up "it's just shorter than Castiel, chill" Dean said covering up embarrassment. Cas tilted his head slightly and then just turned to his bag in silence. Dean let out a breath and yawned, god he hated driving all day.


	3. chapter three

_The area is calming, the water below ripples and tiny splashes when it hits the docks,the sky is with horse tail clouds.Dean sits with a fishing rod in hand watching the lake, not really caring that he hasn't got a bite yet, its's just quiet..his thoughts aren't bugging him, no ones bugging him it's just him and the fish that might be out there._  
"Dean"  
it's a quiet voice but deep, kind of relaxing actually  
"Dean"  
It seems to be getting louder but no ones around  
"DEAN"  
his eyes startle open, sunlight is shining past someone, his eyes adjust and he looks up blinking to find Castiel looking seriously pissed. He groans and hides his eyes with his forearm.  
"you should get up" Castiel said still looking over Dean as the shadow has not left.  
"what time is it?" he grumbles as he sits up on the uncomfortable bed, clicking his neck.  
"Five thirty"  
"Fice thrity-"he grumbles again but sits up further.  
"the last time I remember having to wake someone up like that with that much complaining, it was a five year old girl" Castiel said walking over to the table and straightening his jacket, clearly he'd been up for a while, his hair was brushed and there was two coffees and bag with some bakery written on it.  
"dude how long have you been up?"  
"since four"  
"christ, you were still up when I fell asleep, do you sleep?" Castiel looked over at him with a bored expression  
"don't ask stupid questions" he returned and then grabbed a cup of coffee, drinking some. Dean rolled his eyes and swung his feet round placing them on the cold hard ground. He runs his hands though his spiky hair still in a sleepy daze.  
"take your time" Castiel said sarcastically, Dean glared over at him, he gets up and goes to the bathroom to get ready for the long day.

Eventually Dean had put himself together and was sipping at the too sweet coffee cas had gotten for him, he slowly ate the croissant cas had gotten him as well, at least that tasted good.  
They left the motel, some people around due to it being a Monday, the air was cold and he could see his breath every time he let it out. Castiel didn't seem phased by the cold, he still stood straight and his face expressionless.Dean honestly wondered if the guy was even human. They walked up to his car, she was iced over.  
"i'm sorry baby" Dean said patting her cold roof. Cas frowned over at him from the other side of the car.  
"don't judge me" Dean said disgusted and then blowing into his hands  
"just hurry up it is rather cold" Cas said impatiently  
"just when I was starting to think you were a robot or something" dean said opening the door.  
"excuse me?" cas asked getting in as well. Dean ignored him and put the heater on full blast waiting for to hit the window. Cas sighed beside him, he saw cas jogging his leg impatiently.  
"got a problem?"  
"I just want to hurry this up, you already took a whole hour to get ready, what were you even doing? putting on make up?" Cas asked rhetorically, rolling his eyes.  
"hey sorry I don't work like freakin' robot, Mr fancy suit"  
"what is it with you and robots, I like to take my job seriously which means dressing well"  
"do you even here yourself"  
"do you?"  
"no...you"  
"you"  
"you"  
"okay we're arguing like children, just hurry up and heat your damn car" cas grumbled  
"hey treat this car with respect-" cas looked over at dean with a seriously bored face waiting for him to say one more thing. Dean went silent, the intense gaze closing his mouth. He went back to getting the ice off baby, not pouting at all.

 

*******************************************

They make it to the first house where one of the teens lives. The frost still lay on the lawn outside. Dean hated Colorado in late December, he's lucky he missed the worst of the snow. He parked at the edge and got out, he flinched when he heard the other door slam shut rocking the car. Dean looked over at cas glaring. Cas looked back  
"got a problem?" cas asked, raising an eyebrow, he had to admit he looked pretty good smirking and sassy but he just slammed baby's door so he's officially off the potential bang list  
_why gotta be an asshole cas_  
"child" he snapped back and headed to the white gate, opening the frosty latch. Cas followed after silently as they went up the steps to the the porch. The place was pretty homey, white picket fence and a couple of gnomes on the lawn and at the door (they kinda gave Dean the creeps, that smile is just not natural). He pressed the doorbell which gave off a cheery tune inside, a bit too cheery; he already found this family annoying. The door opened and a smiling women in a floral apron over her blue dress  
_its bloody winter women_  
He almost gagged at how cliche this all was.  
"good morning Mrs Young" Castiel said "im agent Novak and this my partner agent Winchester,FBI" they held their badges out.Her smile faltered a bit.  
"oh of course you must be here for the murders"  
"uh yes, we'd like to talk to your daughter if you don't mind" Dean said,smiling.  
"of course, please come in" she stepped aside and they both walked in. The house was bright with cream walls and light wooden flooring.  
"she was feeling ill today but it's nothing that bad, she can still answer your questions" she said smiling. They nodded and followed her as she went up the stairs. Going down a corridor towards the back of the house where a window looked out she faced the door to her right. Knocking gently the lady smiled back at them  
"honey there's some FBI agents that want to ask you some questions about what you saw"  
"WHAT" there was a thump and some slamming, Dean and Cas exchanged glances  
"uh you can come in" the voice said. Her mother opened the door.  
"do you mind maybe staying down stairs, teens tend to avoid certain facts when a parent is in the room" Castiel said. She nodded  
"oh of course call if you need anything" Dean frowned over at cas who just gave him smirk and then entered. dean followed.  
The girl in side was wrapped in woolly blankets.  
"uh good morning" the girl said sniffing.  
"good morning Miss Young" Dean said. She sat up slowly. Her hair was in dread locks and the rest of the room screamed cliche hippy from the dream catcher above one window and the peace sign painted big above her bed. He wonders if her mum had a fit when she did all this.  
"so on the night, try and tell us all you can remember" Dean said with a smile, she clearly looked like she was gunna shit herself  
"uh yeah well me and couple of friends were....hanging out, we thought it would fun to be at the woods when it got dark....so we heard this _growling_ and we saw this thing run past with horns and and red eyes, ask anyone of the people there it was the truth" she eyes them skeptically  
"so your sure that's what happened...that's exactly what you saw" Castiel said.  
"uh...yeah" she said looking around. Castiel raised an eyebrow  
"I doubt your that ill and i doubt you were just'hanging out'" Castiel walks over to the window, he opens it, a gust of cold air came in, causing Dean to shiver, he grabs something and turns around with an ashtray. She gasps.  
"how did you..."  
"well it was kind of obvious, the room was cold when we got in, you must of fallen when you heard the FBI was outside and I know how you do it because I used too" "your clearly underage and your moms religious, she must of already fainted seeing this room, i doubt she'd take smoking weed very well so why don't you tell us the complete truth" she swallowed hard, dean gave cas an approving look and waited for her to asnwer. She sighed.  
"ok...so we were stoned, but I hadn't had as much as them so i wasn't as high...I could still see enough to know whats real and just in my head. So at school when we heard about the killings we thought we could get some publicity if we said we saw something"  
"so you saw something or not" Dean asked  
"I heard something, like people were running past"  
Dean and cas looked at each other.  
"Anything else?" Cas asked, she shook her head and fiddled with her hair "thank you for your time and next time...leave smoking out of the house, your mom isn't stupid, she'll catch on" Castiel said  
"wait so your ok with it"  
"we have bigger fish to fry here, teens smoking weed is the least of our problems" Dean replied, she nodded.  
"where was this area you were in?" Castiel asked.  
"uh near some cabins, there's not many people there in this season...actually I have map" she rummaged through her bedside draw and gave them a worn out leaflet "it has all the signs and everything"she says getting comfortable again.  
"thanks, get well soon" Dean said putting it in his inner pocket. She went red and hid in her blankets again.

They both headed out of the house, the weather still freezing.  
"so you smoked weed huh?" Dean asked, genuinely interested.  
"yes, a phase through high school, wanting to do everything my family told me not to" Cas said getting in the car.  
"wow your more human than I thought" Dean said smirking,Castiel looked over at him with his bored expression  
"why do you always refer to me as a robot" he asks as Dean starts the car.  
"just the way you act" Dean said driving down the road again.

They head back to the motel as the weather just became colder like it was going to snow, the air was like ice where it hit his skin. It was probably a good idea that they change into more suitable clothing for prancing around in a forest so Dean got out one of his beloved plaid shirts and slipped into his worn jeans. When Cas came out the bathroom Dean was speechless for for more than one reason; the first was th fact that castiels tight jeans complimented his ass perfectly and secondly that he was out of a suit, Dean always thought Castiel was the type to _only_ have suits.  
"You ready?" Cas asked fiddling with his black denim jacket  
"Uh yeah, I've got an arsenal in the trunk so we can set it up once we get there" Dean said, he watched as cas put on a big winter coat which made Dean laugh, cas glared as he shoved a scarf in of the deeps pockets of his coat. Dean had many layers on already so he didn't need a coat _because he's Dean fucking Winchester not an escemo_

Once again Dean underestimated the Colorado weather as he felt the snow lightly fall, dancing in the strong ice cold breeze. Cas smirked next to him , well from what Dean could tell as the dude had his coat up to his nose but the way his cheeks rose up against his eyes told him enough. He grumbled under his breath as he got into the drivers side of the impala and they headed off as the snow fell quicker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, I hope you like this so far this is the first fanfic I've never posted and the others I haven't are absolute garbage. I may just post chapters when I can as I'm so busy right now. Sorry for all mistakes :)


	4. Chapter four

They eventually found the entrance to Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests, the snow was beginning to settle and Dean was regretting to choosing his pride over whether his fingers will stay on. Parking in the empty parking lot they both got out and headed to the cabin opposite. Dean huddled into himself as they walked across. Cas opened the door and they stepped into the thankfully warm cabin.   
"Oh hello there, how may I help you two gentlemen" A man came out with the park ranger outfit on and a big smile  
"Good afternoon" Castiel said holiding his badge up, Dean doing the same "FBI"   
"Oh you must be here about those murders" the man whispered with a smile as if he wasn't talking about people's throats ripped out but that the neighbor having an affair with baby sitter.  
"We'd like to take a look around if that's alright" Dean said  
"You sure can, but if your going deeper into the forest I'll have to go with you as you can tell the snow is getting worse and I would not advise inexperienced agents like you out there" he looked over Dean and taking in his outfit. Cas looked over at him with his coat pulled down and smiled over at Dean.   
"You don't have to worry, I've had a lot of experience with this kind of weather and as you can tell I'm prepared" Cas said back to the ranger, the guy hummed  
"I'm sorry, I'll have to go with you I know this place like the back of my hand" he said already getting a coat "would you like a coat, we might have a spare one out back" Dean looked over at cas who was smirking.  
"Yeah I think that would be a good idea" Dean _didn't pout_ not at all, he was just cold.

They all were went back out, the snow still falling, it was even colder than it was before and Dean was glad for the woolly interior of the coat he was given, the cold deflecting nicely.  
They quickly headed to the car without the ranger and got some flashlights and weapons luckily the coats hid the weapons well.  
"Follow me boys" the man beckoned them on, the wind bashing about in no particular direction. He went up to the barrier where no cars could go and walked around it   
"How are we even supposed to find anything in this?" Dean asked raising his voice over a loud gust of wind  
"I doubt any vamps will be out in this plus it's still day so their probably still asleep" cas replied". Dean nodded and they continued down the track  
"So any area you need to be in" the ranger asked as they walked  
"We heard there were cabins in the area" Dean said, the man nodded  
"Yes there's no one in them around this time, teens manage to get in and think it's fun to camp in the forest" the man rolled his eye and they continued on.  
"What will we do about this ranger" Cas said, his voice was deep enough that he didn't need to shout as hard as Dean over strong gusts of wind.  
"Knock him out?" Dean suggested, watching the man infront as he chose paths for them to follow. Cas looked over at him, Dean couldn't see his face properly but from what he could tell he was raising an eyebrow  
"What? we could find somewhere to tie him up and just go the rest of the way ourselves" Dean said shrugging  
"I guess we haven't got many options here" cas replied.

They found there way to the first cabin, the snow much thicker and the clouds above invisible through the thick snow  
"I think we can take it from here" Dean said and protecting his eyes from snow. The ranger laughed.  
"You agents are crazy" "fine I'll leave you to it but I'll be up at that cabin if you need me...here, use this" the ranger passed over a radio from his coat and then he waved them goodbye and wish them the best.   
Leading off the main path and onto smaller paths they stood shoulder against shoulder, both of them kinda worried they'd suddenly lose themselves in the thick snow fall  
"I'm starting to regret this" Dean shouted.  
"I would say we could turn back but I don't know where that is anymore" he shouted back, Dean smiled at that and they continued on. 

"WHAT'S THAT" cas shouted. Dean had lost track of time as they tracked across frozen land and Dean was freezing, cas had put gloves on and given Dean his scarf which usually Dean would of laughed at and thrown the woolly thing in the next fire he saw but he rather like his ears intact so accepted the scarf.  
"LOOKS LIKE A CAVE" Dean shouted back and hopeful that it was, any shelter would be perfect right now. They both rushed forwards and discarding the thought that maybe something could be in there.   
It was dark and damp but the further in they got the less snow hit. The howling wind was distant and only now could Dean realise how his heart was thumping his ears  
"It doesn't seem to be dying down any time soon" cas said coughing into his gloved hand. Dean nodded and got out his flashlight   
"Guess were spending the night" Dean said flashing the light into castiel's face, his bright blue eyes beamed in the harsh white light before he grumbled and covered his eyes. Dean chuckled and shone the light around the dark cave, the light reflecting off wet walls and the ground below was dirt   
"Very homey" Dean said to no one in particular. The cave hadn't ended but just kept going   
"Maybe with luck the vamps are down here, not too far from the cabins" Dean said walking down deeper. A light shone behind him which was cas' flashlight and he continued on.  
He hummed a tune as the cave got wider and into a small space, he stopped humming and cast the light across the fall   
"You owe me money cas" Dean said as he Cas looked at the human skeletons across the floor. Before cas could make any snarky retort the light in Deans hand was slapped out and it spun across the floor, in an instant a high snarl peirced through the cave and the vamp tackled Dean to the ground, Dean bashed his elbow into her mouth before she could pin him down, he got up and punched her in the gut as she tired to get back up, she continued snarling and getting louder. Cas gripped her hair and rose her head then sliced it off in one quick swoop and then dropped the head.   
"Vamps are so noisy" cas said wiping the blood on the vamps arm, Dean hummed and walked to get his light, suddenly a whump then a fud made him turn to find cas on the floor and then suddenly it was black.

 

He squinted, his ears ringing and the side of his head thumping. He must of been hit in the head. His vision came back slowly everything blurry at first and then a man sitting opposite on a rock, smiling. It was the park ranger   
"Mornin' sleepy head" he said smiling over at Dean, Dean grumbled as the pain in his head continued "that head must be hurting pretty bad, a baseball ball will do that to ya" the man stood up and walked over to someone else who turned out to be cas   
"Pretty boy is still unconscious, they hit him a tad too hard" cas had dried tracks of blood running down his head. "Don't worry though he's not dead....yet" Dean tugged his hands from above his head which were in thick rope, tied tightly.   
"What you gunna do, turn us or kill us" Dean said glaring, the ranger chuckled lightly   
"Now see heres the thing" the 'ranger' got up and walked to Dean "we know who you two are, if we kill you then we're more dead than we already are, we may crave human blood but we ain't stupid so I won't kill you....but the weather might" Dean frowned at that "this is more of a threat than anything, we knew you'd find this case and your unit would be on it" the ranger turned Deans head to the side and watched one of the thick veins pump "believe me I'd love to rip you open....but" he moved back smiling at Dean's grossed out face "I value my family more than my thirst for your blood"   
"So where's the rest of your group, lurking in the shadows or what" Dean said scanning the his surroundings  
"Asleep" he stood up again, looking over at cas who was still out. Dean was slightly worried   
_slightly_   
"Well I appreciated our little talk so remember for next time that we will always know what your up to and you won't catch us unless we want to be court"   
"You think that'll stop us?" The ranger chuckled and then it was put in black once again.

 

He woke up shaking and numb....wet. His clothes were soaked in snow and he was barely able to keep himself conscious, looking around he took in the skeletons of trees and the patchy sky and the clouds were a dull grey. The snow around him was against his shoulders and he tried to wiggle his toes which turned out to be a challenge   
"Son of a-" he started coughing harshly, his lungs aching and the rest of his body protested as he heaved, he groaned and slumped back down. he moved one arm up, joints still and frozen. He sighed and took a gulp that burned his throat he heaved himself up  
"Fuckfuckfuckfuck" he said as all joints seared pain throughout him "fucking Christ" his throat was sore and so was everything else. Turning he found another body facing away from him, he took in the dark mess of hair and knew it was cas  
"Cas" it was useless, his voice could barley be a whisper so waking him up was hopeless. But he went on, his body jerked on its own accord against the harsh air "cas" he tried again, still nothing.  
It took him probably more than an hour to be able to move to a certain extent but he was on his feet had control of his brain. Walking over to cas he put him on his back. His face was white like deans maybe even worse but he was breathing it was showllow but enough   
"Hey cas" he sighed and slapped him round the face harshly, hoping that might work, he did it again and only a small stir. He took in the dry blood caked down his face and dried in hair, he had forstbite on his ear like Dean. Surprisingly they still had their coats but it wasn't enough. He started to rub cas' skin and all his joints trying to get something to work and eventually there was a whimper   
"Hey cas you alright" the concern in his own voice surprised him but he couldn't think of that right now, cas' eyes twitched under his eyelids and his lips quivers slightly as he began to wake up. Dean sat him up and rubbed his back a couple of times before cas opened his eyes slowly   
"What, where" he coughed and his voice strained   
"They dumped us out here" Dean watched as cas gently touched where his head had be hit and then to the back as well "he said they hit you harder" Cas looked up him, eyes still bright blue and harsher against the white snow   
"Are you ok, your ears it's-" he coughed again and Dean nodded   
"You too buddy" Dean said flicking cas' ear, regretting it when Castiel winced   
"Buddy?" Cas asked, Dean rolled his eyes and patted cas on the shoulder   
"Come on up you get" Dean stood up and helped cas as he winced when his joints began to move "might take you a while but we need to get warm" Dean said still gripping cas' shoulder   
_just to help cas not that you kinda like the feeling of him_   
He ignored his bitchy brain held castiel's elbow to guided him along.

It took them forever to find the sign of a cabin and only then did they realise all the weapons on them were gone including Dean's favourite gun his dad had given him. But other things were more important than that so they reached Deans car and hoped that Dean could drive in his still frozen state. The had to make a stop for things to warm both of them up like hot water bottles and Dean found a small electric heater that looked handy.

Cas fumbled with the key and unlocked the motel door and they both stumbled in at the idea of being warm. Inside Dean plugged in the heater so warmth would spread through the room and got out his smaller bag with first aid in it. His face seemed alright so he washed away the dirt in the sink at the hottest the shitty tap would get and then headed back into the room to find cas wobbling around the room looking very disorientated.  
"Hey cas careful sit down" he guided cas down onto his bed slowly "you might have concussion" Dean said taking in castiel's appearance better. He was still pale, the head wound had caused blood to dry in cas' hair, dirt and more blood was across his face and he looked like he would pass out any second now.  
"Ok I'm gunna take a look at that cut on your head ok" Dean went slowly for his and cas' own good; Dean was stilll cold and he had frostbite on his ear not too bad but still it was all very distracting and he couldn't stitch cas up with numb fingers. He got a wash cloth and started to dab away some dirt and blood so he could see if there was anymore damage but it was mostly just very cold. Then he checked his head wound, it wasn't as bad as he thought but it was quite deep so some stitches were needed.   
He tried his best not to hurt cas as his fingers were trembling slightly and he was still cold especially in his damp and dirty clothes but eventually cas was stitched up.  
"Ok you get cleaned up first" Dean said patting his shoulder, cas nodded and stood up slowly   
"Thanks" Castiel replied quietly as he headed to the bathroom. Dean got out some blankets and lay them on top of both their beds and hoped the shit kettle in their room would heat up enough.   
The door unlocked and he heard cas walk out, he continued to fill up some how water bottles  
"These might not even be hot enough but it's better than noth-" he turned round to find cas _just_ in a towel, his back was to Dean (a very nice back) so Dean watched quietly his words lost as he watched the muscle move under his skin, he was battled and pale but still fucking beautiful   
_ok no shut the fuck up Dean turn around and pretend you didn't see him_  
Cas was quickly getting clothes; probably because he was going to freeze if he didn't. Dean turned back around and coughed and tired to calm down his heart rate as long as ignore his slightly interested dick which made him want to melt into the floor. Next time he turned around cas was in sweatpants and a black t-shirt  
"Were you saying something?" Cas asked looking over at him, his hair now dried and sticking up every which way. Dean didn't ask for a second mouth open slightly   
"Just that these aren't very good" Dean said holding one to his chest . Cas frowned   
"Ok" cas walked over and took the one from his hands "you should get cleaned up" He said turning around And heading to his bed. Dean swallowed and got his clothes for the shower. 

Eventually both of them were drifting off to sleep in their uncomfortable but very warm beds. Deans thoughts continued to bug him as his eyes fell; what had the ranger meant? Maybe someone on the inside or their all being watched. He had look at the file the night before and this case has been going on for decades, different generations but all the same people, how no one had court this widely known family Dean doesn't know. His body was screaming for rest however and his eyelids were already firmly shut as he drifted off into his sleep and decided that these problems could wait for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Apologies for mistakes of any kind and I hope you're enjoying it so far :)


	5. Chapter five

Dean was disturbed from his deep sleep by a loud thudding sound. He blinked and took in the midday sun shining through the net curtains and the mess they had made of the room earlier on. He checked the time as he continued to ignore the grumpy voice outside the door, _10:45_. He got out of his warm cocoon and headed to the door. He opened it to a short fat man with a white beard and a pemenant glare  
"You payed for one night so pay for another or get the hell out" the guy said crossing his arms over his wide belly in his stained shirt. Dean sighed and nodded.  
"Let me make a call and I'll get back to you" Dean said shutting the door once again before the guy could glare at him anymore. The knocking started up again and he got to his phone. Cas started to stir in his bed as Dean got out his phone to call Bobby. It rang a few times and then he picked up.  
"Bobby hey"  
"How's the case doin'" Bobby asked, Dean rubbed his neck  
"Ah not the best...we both almost got hyperthermia" Dean said, a shiver running down his spine as he remembered the cold  
"What are talking about, how an earth did that happen?" Bobby asked agitated  
"The vamps knew we were coming, got the jump on us and left us in the snow" Dean said  
"Why did they leave ya both?" Bobby asked  
"One of the vamps said it was a warning or whatever, that they were one step ahead of us" Bobby sighed and Dean watched as cas sat up with a frown on his face. "So whats our next move, they've probably skipped town by now if their smart" Dean said as the guy continued to grumble through the door  
"Go check the place out and see if there's anything there and then we'll see. This vamp family are everywhere" Bobby said. Cas was standing now and cracking all his joints with a grumpy expression.  
"Ok cheers Bobby, be in touch soon" Bobby grunted in return and then hung up the phone. Dean sighed and tossed his phone on the table  
"Mornin' sunshine" Dean said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Cas grumbled and gave Dean a glare  
"We're gunna grab breakfast and then head back to the nest, see if anythings there" Dean said getting his suit together from where he'd dropped it earlier. Cas walked off into the bathroom; probably to tame that wild mess of hair. Dean went back to the door where the guy was leaning against the the railings opposite their door  
"About time, now you gunna pay up or not" he walked forward, looking even more pissed  
"Nah were leaving" Dean said. The guy rolled his eyes and then headed to the stairs. 

Castiel locked the door as Dean took both of their bags to his car, ready to leave the town. Cas went to take the key back and Dean prayed that he can get his car out of this snowy car park. The clouds still coated the sky causing the town to be cast into a dull colour along with the snow that was turning to slush by cars and people.  
"There's a diner just down the road" cas said suddenly. Dean jumped as he turned round to cas with his stone expression. Dean took a breath and looked around "we could eat there before heading to the nest" cas said. Dean nodded and they walked onto the sidewalk. 

A lot of heavy awkward silence later and both of them were sat in a diner eating a very nice, very _warm_ meal. Dean cut bits of bacon and egg with ketchup and ate it all up. Cas had the same but ate slowly unlike Dean  
"Careful you might choke if you eat it any faster" cas said as he observed Dean shovel the warm goodness into his mouth. Dean hummed and ignored what cas said.  
"How any of your other partners put up with you I don't know" cas said more to himself as he sipped his coffee. Dean stopped chewing and looked over at cas with a glare. Cas rolled his eyes and continued to eat.  
Now Dean was in a bad mood. He never liked to mention that Sam had gone, it was weird doing cases on his own for about a month and then to find out he'd have to work with mr stone face all the time. Then cas says something about Sam which just makes it worse. So yeah Deans in a bad mood. Maybe he was being childish but any excuse to make cas look bad was ok for Dean.  
Dean and cas headed down the sidewalk back to his car. They stepped carefully as the snow was turning to sludge and dress shoes weren't the best to walk in. They stayed quiet as the occasional person passed.  
They made it to the car and got in. Dean chose to drive carefully, he may have the tires for it but the roads were icy and Dean didn't want to risk that. 

It was not a surprise to find that the main gates were closed and chained up. Dean drove further down and parked the car. They got a few weapons out and headed towards the gate. A sign read about high snow levels so they were closed for the month. They both looked at gate and Dean let out a sigh  
"So how are we doing this" Dean said as he took in the fences down each side. Cas walked up to the gate and shook it a few times; it didn't budge. Dean laughed and cas glared back at him, staring right into Deans eyes and causing Dean to quieten down, flushing slightly. Cas lodged his foot onto a piece of metal that rose half way up and held onto the top of the gate and took a breath before hoisting himself over and landing in the snow with a soft thud. Dean watched as cas fixed his suit and rose an eyebrow over at Dean. He rolled his eyes back and did want cas did just much quicker. He fixed his tie and smirked at the gate and then at cas who rolled his eyes and walked up the snow coverd road.  
They walked in silence. The cold numbed their feet and they probably should of been smart and brought coats but it was too late for that now and the sun seemed to keep them alive.  
They made it to the car park where the cabin stood still as the songs of birds echoed through the bare trees, the rest of the town far behind.  
"Lets go check in there first" cas said walking over to the cabin. The door was locked so Dean picked it and they stepped into the dark room. Castiel found a light and left the room in a warm orange. The room had a big map on the wall and some panels with information of the forest.  
Dean headed behind the counter and looked through letters but didn't find much. He picked up a family photo of the ranger and his kids with his wife. Dean frowned  
"Do you remember how long the nest has been here for" Dean asked cas who was looking through leaflets. Cas hummed and then walked to the counter  
"No longer than a month, why?" Cas said. Dean turned the picture and placed it on the counter. Castiel picked it up and looked at it, his frown deepend.  
"You think all of them are vamps?" Cas asked. Dean shrugged  
"I checked missing persons, I don't remember this guy"  
"Do we even know who he is?" Cas asked tilting his head. Dean pondered that for a second and then shook his head  
"And that's what we'll find out but first the nest" Dean said as he took the photo out of its frame and put it into his pocket.  
They headed back out again and went to the barrier. The snow was deeper here and they both complained to themselves  
"Why can't we go some place hot" Dean complained. Cas hummed in agreement frowning down at his shoes. 

They managed to remember the way with a small disagreement and cas nearly drowning in snow which caused Dean to laugh so cas shoved him and he felt flat on his ass. He still feels damp.  
They find the familiar opening and head inside. It's still damp and there's a random dripping sound in the distant as they head into the darkness so they get their flashlights out. Dean lead them both to the opening where the skeletons still lay and two new patches of blood in the dirt.  
"Hey question, if the nests only been here a month why are there skeletons?" Dean asked cas stood next to him and looked down at the bones  
"Maybe they used an old nest, this family goes way back and the hunters almost wiped the vamps out, maybe this is what's left" cas said walking away, Dean nodded and looked around the cave. Cas flashed his light over the space and found a medium sized hole near the floor. He nudged Dean who looked at the hole with a raised eyebrow but walked towards it.  
"Think we can fit?" Dean asked getting on his knees and peering through, it was just darkness.  
"Let's find out" cas said. Dean decided to go on his back as that would be easier. His light was shoved through and he pulled himself to the other side. It was fairly easy, his shoulder got stuck slightly which made cas laugh so Dean kicked out blindly and hit cas in the shin making him yelp.  
"Your turn" Dean said brushing off his suit. There was a shuffle and Dean flashed the light at the hole. Cas shoved through without getting as stuck as much as Dean. As cas brushed himself off he gave Dean a smug look  
"That's only because I haven't got the frame of a lady" Dean said rolling his eyes. Castiel settled him with a cold glare. So maybe cas didn't have the frame of a lady but he was slightly smaller than Dean and he just wanted to wipe that smug grin off.  
The rest of the way through was an ok height, they didn't have to climb through any holes anyway.  
Suddenly it opened up and there were worn mattresses laid out across the space. A wooden beam stood in the middle and something-no someone was tied to it.  
"Cas hey there's someone tied up" Dean said as he rushed off. It was a lady, looked around her late twentys. Her blonde hair was a mess over face as she leaned forwards as far as the ropes would let her. Cas followed after him and shone the light on a note in the girls hand. Cas got it out of her tight grip and read it aloud  
"A little gift" cas frowned down at it and turned it around to see if anything else lay on the crumpled piece of paper.  
"You think she's still alive?" Dean asked. Cas looked over at her  
"Check" he replied putting his hand on the handle of his machete. Dean raised an eyebrow "she could be a vamp" cas said. Dean sighed and then turned back to the girl. He checked her pulse. His let out a sigh of relief as he felt the faint beat. Quickly he cut the rope and pulled her hair behind her ears  
"Wait Dean you should of checked if she-" a snarl broke what cas was going to say and she leaped to life, tossing Dean across the room and she jumped up, baring her teeth to cas she leaped onto him. Cas didn't reacts fast enough so he fell onto the floor as she tried to bite at his neck. He punched up (from what he could tell right into her boob but that's not important) and she yelped and fell back. Dean got up and ran to her so Cas could cut her head off. Castiel swung the blade above his head and cut clean through. The snarls died down and the rest of her body when limp as her head rolled away.  
"Dammit" Dean said under his breath as he wiped some blood away from his face "you think we could of saved her?" Dean asked as he grimaced at the opened eyes of the vamp staring at him.  
"Yeah maybe when she stopped trying to rip our throats out"Cas said swing his blade a few times. Dean levelled him with a glare "what, it would of been impossible....well maybe if you had checked before you _untied_ her we could have stood a chance and so would she" cas said glaring back  
"You think I don't know that?" Dean snapped back  
"Well maybe you should of known a bit more earlier, we could get Ms Moseley to help cure her, I don't know how she does it but she does" cas said back as he pulled out his phone "I'll call Mr singer and tell him we have a body" he mumbled and walked off to the other side of the cave. Dean clemched his jaw as he took in the girls appearance. All the victims in this town were killed so she must of been from another. He sighed and looked for something to cover her face. He may have dealt with many monsters before but when they stare up at you like that it sends shivers down your spine. Castiel carried on talking on the phone as Dean found an old sack, he shrugged and draped it over her face, for a second he though of putting her head in the sack but that didn't feel right so he left it over her head; hiding her gaping mouth and her wide eyes. Cas came back as he pocketed his phone and looked down at the body  
"He says we should give the place a once-over...and told me to tell you that your an idjit" cas said frowning slightly. Dean couldn't help but smile a bit with fondness at that. Bobby had been best friends with Deans father John for he doesn't know how long. They were so close that they referred to each other other as brothers so Dean and Sam just grew to calling him uncle Bobby. Bobby had been in the job for longer than John and used to be doing work just like Sam and Dean but he did it with a friend named Rufus. Bobby and Rufus argued and bickered more than anything else but although they'd never admit it both of them cared deeply for each other, but now both of them are promoted so their not on the ground anymore.  
There wasn't anything else left behind, he was confused as to why they left one of their own behind, the ranger had made it sound like they were all big family but this doesn't seem like family to Dean.  
"You found anything?" Dean asked as they reached back to the centre again. Cas shook his head  
"You still got that photo right?" Cas asked. Dean nodded "good" they both headed back up to the forest and made the awkward walk back to Dean's car.


	6. Chapter six

Castiel gets a call back informing him that the local cops have been informed and Bobby managed to pressure them into not letting this get out, if the women was kidnapped the they'll be able to easily locate where she was last seen so they're advised to head back to headquarters in Kansas, Wichita. Due to the work their department do the department is located off the map, its located under an office block which they also run as some parts of the job are not needed to be several floors underground. So before they head out they find a place to clean up as they've already sigined out of the motel so they find a café. The women has eyes the size of saucepans as they both walk in with blood sprayed and burised faces  
"Don't worry we're with the FBI" Dean says with what is meant to be a reassuring smile but she covers her mouth with her hands. Cas grabs his upper arm firmly (Dean will never admit it sent chills up his spine) and drags him towards the men's room  
"Are you trying to get us found out" Cas asks. Dean knows it's rhetorical but he's about to open his mouth to give an answer when Cas glares at him as if daring him to say anything. Dean closes his mouth the glare as well as the very close proximity shut Dean's brain down and cas isn't even flinching. Then in an instant Cas is gone and at the sink fiddling with his tie. Dean stands for a second longer and then wakes up, his ears heating.

Dean makes a stop for gas and tells Cas to get some food for the trip and not to forget the pie. He looks out to the scenery. The snow on the fields is untouched and the bare branches of trees sway in the wind as birds fly over. It one in the afternoon so from what he can tell the sun is high and hidden by thick clouds indicating more snow is on the way. He sighs and hopes it starts when there're off any main roads.  
The trips back to Kansas is awkward to say the least. It worsens when they start to talk about the case and cas yet again mentions it was Deans fault (as if he isn't blaming himself already) so instead of tossing Castiel out onto the side of the road and let him die of the cold, he grips the wheel tight enough to make his knuckles turn white and takes pleasure out of speeding dangerously causing Cas to tense up next to him.

 

*****************

It's already dark when they get to Wichita due to it still being winter but people still pack the sidewalks and cars are on the roads, grit worn into the roads. Snow is basically brown slush on the sides of roads and shops. Snow is lightly falling now so when going down into the parking lot he travels slowly due to the already icy roads.  
Once parked Cas mentions something about talking to someone (Dean wasn't really paying attention) so Dean heads off to go talk to Charlie and Kevin, leaving Cas back at the car.  
When he reaches the door it's surprisingly quiet, he frowns and then knocks on the door but just walking in anyway. Well that explains a lot, Kevin is not in the room and Charlie has her headphones on. He walks over and pulls her headphones off  
"Hey-" she spins around and then glares, Dean smirks as she try's to grab them and he lifts them higher  
"Good evening to you too" Dean says placing them on her desk. She rolls her eyes and turns off her music  
"So you got back in once piece, heard you nearly froze to death" she says and gets up and heading over to the mini fridge they snuck into their office.  
"Yeah but I made it back" she hums in reply as she takes two cans out "oh are you ok Dean? Oh yeah I'm good, my ear nearly fell off but whatever" dean says. She turns around and gives him a smile  
"Just kidding but the amount of times you nearly die this isn't anything new" she says and gives him a beer, he smiles and takes it. She looks behind him and frowns  
"Where's Novak?" She asks. He rolls his eyes  
"I don't know....somewhere" he says and pulls out a chair from the table in the centre. She cocks an eyebrow and leans on one leg "what?" He asks innocently. She sighs and sits down opposite  
"Not getting along I can tell" Dean scoffed in reply as he took a sip  
"When he does talk it's to insult me" Dean says glaring at his can. She huffs and fiddles with the corner of a worn yellow folder.  
"Your not exactly a saint yourself" she says smiling  
"Well I know that....but he started it" Dean said mumbling the last part. Charlie raises an eyebrow  
"Sure, stone faced Novak is just on his period or some shit right?" Charlie said rolling her eyes "you must've done something" she said  
"Oh and you know him so well" Dean retorts  
"Well I did a background check and I talk to Meg sometimes"  
"Meg?" He says and fiddles with the top of his can "who's that, his girlfriend or something" he said joking  
"More like friends with benefits" Charlie says shrugging. Dean chokes on his beer  
"He has a sex life?" He says, widening his eyes. She rolls her eyes with a smile  
"Yeah if that's so surprising, she's told me some stuff and tells me his an alright guy but you just shouldn't get on his bad side" Dean rolls his eyes  
"Yeah sure"  
"Just give him a chance, this is the first day" she says and gets up "so are we gunna work or gossip?" She asks. He gets up and reaches into his pocket  
"That reminds me" he takes out the photo and flattens it out on the table "this guy is who talked to me, a vamp who seems to be in charge of this nest" she hums and pulls the photo forward  
"Or one of them, we all know about the first vamp" she says and picks up the picture  
"Yeah I guessed, so he's probably just in control of that one" he says  
"The kids?" She says turning it over to him. Dean shrugs  
"We were thinking that either he was turned or they were born into it" he says. She nods and walks over to he computer  
"Should be easy enough" she said and starts to type alway. He notices the wall used for evidence is layed out with a copy of the vamp info. He looks over it where tape and pictures are laid over the map of the states  
"They really are everywhere" she hums in agreement "how long has this case been going?" Charlie stops typing and thinks  
"We picked up on it in the 90's but it must of been going for much longer than that" she says. Dean hums and notices a folder filled with more information  
"How are these guys still alive, thought vamps were almost wiped out once upon a time" he says.  
"Yeah almost and remember the first vampire was never killed or even seen in fact, anyone who's seen him has ended up dead" she says  
"So there might not even _be_ a first vampire" he says frowning over at her. She nods  
"But it would make sense, you know the father of all or whatever" Charlie says waving here arms  
"Wow" he says and finishes his beer "oh and another thing, the vamp said some things and seemed like he was making out we've got a mole" Dean said as he tosses the can in the bin. She stops and turns to him  
"A vamp in here?" She asks with disbelief  
"Maybe not a vamp but someone leaking out information, like if we've found a nest" Dean says. She nods  
"I'll talk to Hendrickson, see if security's picked anything up" Charlie says and makes a note in her book besides her computer. There's a knock at the door and then Cas steps in with his normal expression  
"Evening agent" Charlie says with a smile and glance at Dean  
"Good evening" he nods to both of them and then glances at the wall "did you give her the photo" he asks. Dean nods and takes a seat as cas walks over to the wall  
"Oh and where's Kevin?" Dean asks. Charlie laughs and turns around again  
"His mom came round, she happened to be in Kansas so she took him out for dinner, I said Kevin had no plans so he could go" Dean laughed "poor kid was practically dragged out" she continues. Dean laughs again and put his feet up on the table.  
Work is quiet as they try and figure out their next move. Dean and Castiel don't talk directly to each other that much and when they do it's quick and cold. Charlie rolls her eyes several time as they continue well into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this chapter was shit, it was deleted twice and I kept forgetting to have another draft of my work so I had little to no will power to write this but I didn't have much on this chapter anyway so hey hope you enjoyed what I did write.


	7. Chapter seven

Dean yawned as he walked through the long corridor, last night was tiering and rather aggravating; tiering because reports had to be filled out for the case that had failed miserably and aggravating as Castiel had figured out another way that this was all Deans fault once again and was saying that if she was alive and could not be cured then the could of gained information. Thankfully Charlie backed him up by saying that clearly she knew nothing otherwise they would not have left her, cas did counter this however by saying that if they know so much about us they wouldn't have to worry due to how stupid we were. The night had gone quiet after that, once Cas had left Dean gave Charlie an _I told you so_ look and that was the end of that.  
Dean had an apartment in a big house, one of those you get the upstairs and they have the downstairs sort of thing. He rarely used it and he swears the landlords died or something but it's usually just a place to crash and maybe have some breakfast if he doesn't want to get some from the breakfast bar that he loathes but admittedly has very good snacks.  
Bobby's assistant you could call her, had come to tell him that Mr Singer would like to have a word with him and Novak. Miss Rosen was what you could call _intense_ , when Sam was still around she had some serious obsession over him and Sam was kind about it of course which meant the girl practically latched onto him which only stopped when Sam proposed to Jess and She could be heard crying from down the corridors, Dean doesn't know how she ended up being the assistant of Bobby but he seems to tolerate her as much as everyone else.  
He knocks on Bobby's door and gives a Hester a nod before a gruff _come inside_ tells him to come in. Castiel is already there and standing up as well as Bobby  
"Please sit both of you" Bobby says. They sit down in silence without a glance at each other "so the Colorado case" Bobby says, voice so far still calm but he seems to be only just holding back. They nod "now I hear fingers are being pointed here, mostly from you Novak" Bobby says staring at cas. Castiel sits up a bit stiffer and with a gulp then a curt nod "right first off you cut her head off so you have no right to go round blaming other people"  
"But-" Cas speaks up  
"No buts, grow up and behave like a real agent" Dean smirks at that but it vanishes when Bobby looks at him, Dean gulps, too late.  
"What do you think you're smirking at boy, may I remind you how long you've been doing this job and yet you somehow managed to forget one of the basic rules of finding vamps so do you need to go back to training or what?"  
"No sir" Dean replies, feeling like a child.  
"And don't you both go thinkin' this will get you separated in fact this entire case will be solved with you two together, I don't want to have to have this conversation again now get out and clean up the mess you made of letting an entire vamps nest get away" they nod and stand up silently. Somehow Bobby is always capable of putting Dean in his place and showing him that he's an idiot. They both leave without a word to each other as usual.

 

******************  
Over the next week they both travel over several states to hunt vamp after vamp. This is a big case and large parts undiscovered due to the case not been going for long for any valuable information, the previous people on the case didn't seem very good at taking notes. So they decided the main aim was to find the nest they lost at the start, the leader seems like he knew a lot. Other agents have been helping too and they put it all on a much bigger bored than the one in Charlie and Kevin's office. Bobby seems proud that they are getting work done but cas and Dean have yet to be civil, they work hard and try to make offhand comments about eachother as much as possible. Charlie rolls her eye at the both of them and Bobby seems to ignore their childish behaviour for now.  
Currently Dean is sitting with Charlie and Kevin in their office and eating pizza. Castiel is off somewhere but once again Dean wasn't really paying attention.  
"That Novak is a strange one" Kevin remarked. Charlie laughed and Dean rolled his eyes  
"More like douchebag" Dean said. Charlie groaned loudly  
"God you're such pain in the ass" she says. Kevin frowns  
"What?" Kevin asks confused  
"Seriously you don't hear this whiny five year old every day for the past month?" She asked waving here hands at Dean.  
"No I tend to zone out sometimes when he talks" Kevin said. Dean threw the closest thing near to him (which was a pen) directly at Kevin's head. "Hey" Kevin retorts  
"I mean Castiel can be an asshole on some occasions,but can't we all?" Charlie asked  
"Don't get me started on this ok we just don't get a long" Dean replies and then takes a bite of pizza "and plus" he finishes chewing down his pizza and then smiles "I always get back at him, it's funny actually" he put the pizza slice down "we're driving right and on the first day he told me about how I'm going over the speed limit or some shit but anyway, so every time we're on the road I speed up and he tenses up and looks all agitated and shit like you would not believe and then he _finally_ keeps his mouth shut" he's laughing and Kevin is frowning  
"Wait charlie didn't you say he was...." Kevin seems lost and Charlie has a mouth opened  
"What?" Dean asks  
"Dean Winchester you fucking idiot no wonder he was a douche, you were being a bigger douche" she says. Dean frowns in confusion "he was in a fucking car accident you  
absolute dumb ass, when he was a kid like his whole family died and his brother was paralysed...oh my god the poor guy was probably having a panic attack or something" she says. Dean clenches his jaw and the opens his mouth again in shock  
"Shit, wait how do you know?"  
"Freakin' background check Dean, his uncle took him in he was an ex-army guy or something" Dean sits back in his chair  
"What am I gunna do?"  
"Well you can't go up and say hey sorry I triggered a flashback of one of the most traumatising parts of your life because I'm a winey little bitch" Charlie says sarcastically. Dean ignores that and thinks about every time Cas had gripped his own thighs so hard his fingers were white and then he'd go as pale as a sheet, it was damn obvious. He feels like kicking himself  
"Well slowing down would be helpful and maybe putting seat belts in that damm old car of yours" Kevin mutters. Dean glares but thinks it over.  
"Just don't talk to him about it, he might punch you or something" He nods in reply to Charlie and let's himself drown in guilt silently. 

He meets up with Cas later and they go to head off for their next case. It's warming up as it's February but the cold still nips at bare skin and it's all frosty with a thin layer of snow that's vanishing quick.  
"Want a coffee first?" Dean asks. Cas looks over at him, somehow he sees Cas in a new light a lot lately but obviously he's still kinda an asshole despite his past and he makes Dean want to hit something...but there's something else and of course it's shown in his bright baby blue eyes, all the emotion he seems to hold back can be seen threw his eyes but maybe that's just because Dean stares into them so much,he's been caching himself doing that lately.  
"Yeah ok" Cas says snatching Dean out of his thoughts. Dean blinks and once again turns his eyes away from those swirls of angelic blue that seem to trap him. He coughs and they walk out and head to the coffee shop near by.  
Cas orders something with a long name that the barista seems to get and Dean just orders a black. They wait for a while as the place is packed with people who are warming themselves up and two toddlers cry near the back.  
They make it out of the coffee shop and head back to get to Dean's car.  
"Has uh...someone said something?" Cas asked with a frown. Dean gains his own frown  
"What do you mean?" Cas doesn't answer for a second fiddles with lid of his coffee  
"Well it's just your being less...douchey?" Cas says. Dean bites his lips, he doesn't know what to say.  
"I don't know what your talking about, I'm always this douchey" he grins and hopes Cas doesn't look into it any further. As nods and ignores the joke  
"Perhaps" Cas replys and they continue walking in silence.

Castiel's reply had confused Dean quite frankly, he doesn't know what the dude meant by "perhaps" but it's not like he can ask now as that was hours ago and he felt like it would be rather stupid to ask about it. Wichita was a long way away now and they should have a break soon and he's been driving for seven hours and he's scared that if he blinks he will close his eyes for too long and fall asleep. He certainly doesn't want to trigger Cas again. Castiel has been silent as usual and looking out the window as the scenery rolls by.  
"We'll make a stop in the next town, get some sleep" It's sounds too loud in the space that's been quiet for so long that awkwardness was forgotten. Part of him worries he would trigger Cas by his loud voice but that's ridiculous and that's probably what pisses people off when they are like that, people treating them like fine china at any minute.  
"Ok" Cas says, oblivious to the war Dean is having with himself.  
They stop somewhere near the edge of Indiana called Terre Haute where they find a cheap enough motel. The motel isn't trapped in the past like some have been so that's good enough but it's still not nice enough to be comfy. It's bare bedsides some close up of a flower petal as a thin landscape portrait between the beds and the tables, there is a small table which is made out of shitty wood, along with two chairs, a dresser is near the windows with a tray of sachets and sugars And also a coffee holder,it would be shitty coffee anyway. Dean drops his duffle on his bed and gets out some stuff for bed  
"You using the shower first?" Cas asked as he does the same thing.  
"You can go first" Dean says as he takes off his jacket. Cas nods and then heads to the small bathroom.

 

_There's blood deep in his skin and it's not just his, the floor is stained with blood and dirt. Sam is there all bloody and the front of his shirt is caked in blood that still spurting through the deep wounds and Dean wants to cry out and run to help but he finds himself laughing and it sounds foreign to his own ears, he feels like he's not in control of himself and his hand is gripping a blade. Other people like the girl from Fort Collins, the two kids he saved back in Minnesota and other countless people he'd killed or saved, all bloody and dead. Something in his head is screaming that this is all his fault and then this sick, sick part that finds this funny and pleasure causes through his veins as he hears the last breaths of his brother_

His eyes fly open and his body reacts with fear and he sits up. His breathing is ragged and his t-shirt is stuck to his body. He looks down at his hands and bare arms,no blood and no blade. His breathing starts to clam down as he chokes on the saliva stuck in his throat  
"Dean" a soft voice makes him jump and he looks over, Cas is sat up in his bed,his face is partly visible in the moon that shines through the open curtains, the moonlight reflects off the bright blues. Dean's eyes widen and he's shaking.  
"Is everything ok?" Cas asks with what seems like genuine concern. Dean coughs and grips the sheets in his hands to try and contain his shaking hands  
"Yea-yeah I'm fine, everything's fine just go back to sleep" his voice is deep from sleep but he seems to of managed the emotionless reply well enough. Cas doesn't do anything for a second that seems to drag on forever  
"Ok...I'll see you in the morning" Cas lies down and turns away from him and the room goes silent. His breathing has calmed down but his top still sticks to him uncomfortably. He runs his hands over his face and pulls himself out of bed. His knees are weak as he slowly walks to the bathroom which he knows will be in sight of Cas. His mind is all kinds of fucked up, sometimes it's nice and calming and then the dark twisted part of his mind full on attacks him. He turns on the light and closes the door, the lights sting his eyes as he slowly adjusts to the bright light. He heads over to the sink and looks into the mirror. Frankly he looks terrible , his eyes are red rimmed and a thick sheen of sweat cover his now pale face.  
"You're ok" he says to himself as if that will calm his totally messed up mind. He turns on the tap and let's the cold water run for a bit and then splashes some on his face to cool him down "you're ok"

They get up at five so they can get there quicker. It was awkward and he court Castiel staring a couple of times which made Dean angry, he doesn't want this asshole pitying him or mocking him for his broken mind.  
They get some breakfast and once again they head out for the last four hours. 

It's a work day so most people are already inside which means less traffic. They had luckily found a lead back in Kansas on where the nest that had gotten away from them at the beginning so they were pretty pumped for this one. Word from some one in Ohio told them about it and despite the fact that the vamps may already know their coming they might not get this chance again for a while, the nest was good at covering their tracks and that's what raised slight concern to Dean, it was a small slip up that what was now known as the ranger back in Colorado was identified by a group one night, he wasn't killing anyone but just seen near the crime scene who wasn't local. But they took the bait knowing fully well that it probably _was_ bait.  
After getting some gas they headed to the police station to go through what they've done countless times to make sure they're on the right path.  
The lady at the front directs them to the sheriff. The man is a short and chubby man with a large white mustauche that looks well looked after.  
"Hello gentlemen, so what brings the FBI all the way to Springfield" he says as they shake hands and sit down.  
"We're here about the body's found and the missing" Dean says. The guy nods  
"Ah that one, quite strange really I don't know all the sciencey terms so I'll leave that to the doctors that you can talk to. But what I do know is that the body's found were not from around here but in fact from other towns across different states and...all their blood drained" they nodded,Sounds like vamps.  
"Could we talk to the doctors about this?" Castiel's asks. The guy nods and stands up. He walks down a few corridors and they end up at another door that he opens.  
"This is Dr. Wells, he'll help you" the sheriff says with a polite nod  
"Good morning agents" the man says with a business like tone, the man closes the file he was writing in and stands up to shake their hands  
"Your here about the blood drained victims, correct?" The doctor asks  
"Yes" Castiel says. The doctor nods.  
"Follow me and I can show you the bodies" they nod and he walks away. The man was slim with dark skin and stood up straight with a serious tone, reminded Dean of Cas.

"As you can see by his appearance, the blood has been completely drained. He must of been dead a while back as the body needs enough blood to stay alive obviously" the doctor says as he points at parts of the middle aged man who was shrivelled up and long gone  
"So whoever did this continued to drain him even after his death?" Cas asked. The man nodded and took in the body in with a sigh  
"It's pretty barbaric but luckily the victim would be unconscious for the most part" they nod  
"So this victim isn't local?" Dean asks. The man shakes his head  
"From Texas" Dean whistles and the man nods  
"This all seems very strange gentlemen I hope you solve this for everyone's sake"  
"We hope so too" Cas replies. 

"So they take trips with their food now?" Dean asks as they head to the car. Cas nods  
"Must be for when they can't get anything, just backup" "I don't know what's worse, them being turned or drained of all their blood" Dean hums in reply as they get into the car  
"So where to now?" Castiel asks  
"The crime scene? Maybe they missed something like a clue to where their hiding out"  
"Yeah if they haven't left town already" Cas replies. Dean nods and hopes Cas is wrong, they need a breakthrough.  
The body's were found in a ditch on the edge of town in an area widely known for trouble. So obviously the both went into the area in suits looking all law enforcing it got some strange and threatening looks.  
"We really should of dressed down" Dean said in a low voice as the crossed the wide street  
"I doubt they'd take kindly to any stranger in this part and I think the suits will keep them off us, they don't want federal agent blood on their hands" Cas replies and sounding all smart  
"You don't know that" he replies skepticly  
"Well let's hope we make it out then" Castiel says with a tone saying this dumb conversation is finished.  
The area is taped off still so they duck under and look around. They don't see anything straight away and Dean starts to think that nothing would really be left behind.  
"You're not the local cops" They straighten up and look over at a short black women who's looking them up and down  
"Uh no we're FBI" Dean replies and they show their badges and she nods "I'm agent Winchester and this is my partner agent Novak" it slides off his tongue easily as he's said it a thousand times already.  
"Can we help you" Castiel asks. The lady shrugs  
"I might've saw somethin'" she says as if she might tell them or might not, teasing.  
"Didn't you tell the police?" Castiel asks  
"They wouldn't believe me if I had" she says with a scoff "don't believe much of what I say actually"  
"So why are you telling us?" Castiel asks as they walk towards the tape  
"Never said I would but you two seem to know your stuff" they frown at her reply "you just seems to look around differently, looking for something more specific and FBI don't tend to come down this way and certainly not all suited up" she says cocking an eyebrow. Dean looks over at cas who returns the gaze  
_what did I say?_  
He says without words, Cas rolls his eyes and looks back at her  
"So will you or not, this is a murder investigation after all" Cas says to her with a raised eyebrow  
"Don't you get all sassy with me boy" she says with enthusiasm which knocks Cas a bit. Dean smirks at the both of them as cas coughs  
"I will tell ya as you've given me the time of day" she says focusing that more on Dean than cas who is resting from foot to foot impatiently "I heard all this racket see, now I hear my fair share of racket but this, well this was different. I live on the ground floor of that apartment block over there and I was lookin' out, their were a group of people all arguing as they dumped what I couldn't tell at the time in the ditch. I couldn't quite hear them but two got all heated up and started shoving each other...and they flashed this whole set of fangs at each other, I didn't watch much after that as I thought I was going crazy but now that I think about it....I definitely saw fangs" she sighs and waits. They nod  
"Did you see where they went?" Dean asks  
"They were driving a small truck and the lights turned right from my window, I didn't see anything else" She says with a shake of her head "thank you for your help, could we take a couple of details?" 

They head off back to his car and Dean is still smirking at the slight flush to cas' cheeks when he was scolded by some random lady  
"You out of all people" Dean saying, cas didn't need him to elaborate on that  
"Shut up" Cas said glaring at him. Dean laughed and luckily found baby intact. They get in and head down to where the lady had pointed them.  
They don't really know where they are actually going, the truck could have turned at any road after that. They turned a couple of corners and went on a hunch every time they turned. 

After an hour cas said "Wait keep going straight" pointing towards what seemed to be a gate at the end of the road. He stops in front and they both get out.  
"Just as I thought, look" Castiel said. Dean looked over and court sight of tire tracks going up a drive. It wasn't that long as he could see the corner of the house at the top but brambles and trees walled off the road so no light came through.  
"We'll leave the car here, they better be up there" Dean said as he head back to the trunk to grab a blade for them both.  
"You think this could be a trap?" Castiel asked  
"Probably" Dean replied. The gate was chained up so they had to climb over, it wasn't that high. He checked for his gun in his suit jacket. They quietly made their way up the dark drive way, careful of any twigs but they probably already know they're coming.  
The drive widens out as the mid day sun appeared. The house was old with chipped white paint and shutters hung off the windows and what must of been the truck was in the open drive. Dean took out his gun slowly, Cas doing the same thing. They crouch as they get to the ground floor windows. The only sound were birds in the trees and the silent steps of them.  
Dean backs up against the side of the window, he peers in and sees a wooden table in the middle which was surrounded by an empty kitchen. He looks back at Cas who was very close. Dean doesn't do anything for a while and just stares,Cas has his 'in action' face which makes him look all the more attractive. Cas elbows him in the side  
" _what?_ " Cas whispers  
Dean coughs and then shakes his head and points at the window. Cas nods and they sneak over to the door.  
He shakes the handle but it doesn't budge. He gets his pick pocketing kit out and gets to work as cas keeps watch. He unlocks it but there's a chain stopping the rest of the door from opening. He puts his hand through the gap and fumbles around as he figures out how to get it off, he finally gets it and the pushes the door open. He flinched when the old door squeaks so he looks at every doorway as he walks in, his gun ready. Cas closes the door behind him and the bird songs disappear leaving them in an eerie silence.  
They go through the first two rooms when they hear talking and the squeak of stairs, they looks at each other and then hide behind a wall. Castiel goes into the kitchen and Dean into the dining room opposite.  
"We're moving out soon" one man said  
"Good, it was stupid to dump those bodies so close" a women said  
"Wasn't that part of the plan though?"  
"Hmm yeah that ridiculous plan to reel in those vamp killers" the women said with amusement "no way are they that stupid" the voices get closer and Dean starts to fidget as they come down the corridor  
"Ha, you weren't there last time so trust me,they are that stupid and you should have faith in Cory he is in charge after all" the man says. Dean looks round and watches as the walk into the kitchen, the man was large with muscle and the women looked like she could take down three men in one go. He panics as he realises Cas is in there and waits for any sign of him being found, nothing yet.  
"I don't know how Cory got in charge, thought we were all equal or some crap"  
Then theres a whip of air around something and then a thump  
"Hey who the fuck are you!" The man shouts. That's Deans que, he leaps out and shoots the guy in both his kneecaps. The vamp snarls and bares his many fangs. Castiel gives a hard kick and then grabs a frying pan and hits the guy round the head with an almost cartoonish clang, he slumps to the floor. Cas still has the pan raised as he looks back at Dean and then shrugs  
"He might know something...and a punch wouldn't knock him out" cas said as he put the pan with a dent on the table  
"Dude" Dean says amused as he shakes his head. Cas ducks down and looks through the guys pockets and then the women  
"Nothing" Cas says with a shake of his head. They both drag the guy to the old metal stove and tie him up  
"Lets hope that keeps him for a bit" Dean says as they look down at the unconscious man. Cas nods and then they move on.  
There's no other vamps up stairs so they head for the basement. The door is unlocked so he slowly opens it with luckily no sound. He hears muffled voices and what seems like a muffled cry.they walk down the walled off stairs and he pears round the corner. There is about three people two women and a man who are knocked out and pale sat in chairs with needles attached to them with what seems to be blood flowing out. There's another women in a chair that crying, she's dirty and bloody but no needle. Before he can go to help, a man walks past the stairs with a grin, it's the ranger from Colorado  
"Don't cry sweetheart, we're not here to hurt you" there's a couple of laughs from the corners he can't see. She crys more as she try's to pull her hand she out of their tight restraints  
"You gunna hurt yourself if you keep that up little lady" a man says with a thick Texan accent. There's a laugh and it goes silent  
"Why don't you come on down boys, enjoy the show" the ranger says in a creepy cheery voice. Dean gulps and steps into the light with Cas following "long time no see my friends, how's your head doing there Cassie?" The ranger asks sarcastically  
"How do you-" Cas asked  
"Oh I know a lot about the both of you, Dean with your daddy issue and Castile...uncle Zach" Dean isn't pleased with daddy issues but the uncle Zach thing court his interest. Cas gulps and straightens up  
"I don't know what your talking about" Cas says, clearly lying. The ranger walks up to him  
"Awe I'm sure you do, my little _angel_ " whatever that meant seems to make Cas react and he punches the vamp right in the face so he stumbles back  
"Quite a right hook you got here buddy" the vamp says with amusement as he holds his bleeding nose "but not good enough, Carl" his voice go serious and with a snap of his fingers _Carl_ leaps at cas sending him to the floor. He punches Cas again and again and starts to dive for his neck, Dean gets out his blade but he sent flying by another vamp. The vamp snarls and runs at him as he try's to get back on his feet, the women punches him in the gut and then kicks him to the floor, he chokes on blood but gets out his gun as his blade isn't near him and shoots here right between the eyes. She falls back and then he grabs his blade and decapitates her. Cas has the upper hand now and rolls the man over so he's straddling him and shoots him in the face, Dean runs over and cuts the head off. Cas gets off and hold his neck where blood is seeping out between his fingers.  
"You ok, can you carry on?" Dean asks. Cas breaths and then nods  
"Yeah keep going" Cas says. Another vamp comes flying at them and Dean punches him in the face  
"Derick hold back" the ranger says, _Derick_ slumps back and Deans about to kill him but he can leave that till later, this ranger wants to talk it seems  
"Let's talk" the vamp says  
"I think you like the sound of you own voice a little too much" Dean says with a glare and tightens his grip on the handle of his blade. The ranger laughs  
"True but if you want information I have it" Dean snorts at that  
"Right, lets skip this and get to the part when I chop your big head off" Dean says glaring  
"You don't wanna kill me my blood thirsty friend, you need me" the ranger says as he sits on the side of the chair which the still concious women was in and looking very traumatised.  
"Right, we'll all go for a drink and you can tell us all about the people you've kidnapped and killed over the years" Dean says. The ranger laughs once more  
"The sarcasm is strong with this one am I right?"he says to cas. Castiel rolls his eyes  
"Get on with it already" Castiel says with boredom which doesn't seem to fit with the situation.  
"As you've already guessed I am in charge of this nest, half of them aren't here of course"  
"Like your children for example" Cas says. That seems to hit a nerve and the man straightens up a bit "are they vamps too?" Cas asks, showing pleasure in seeing the man lost for words "should be careful with what you leave behind" Cas says.  
"They vamps too?" Dean asks. The man stands up  
"That's none of your business" the ranger says. They both scoff and smirk  
"What about that vamp you left back in January Fort Collins why'd you leave her?" Dean asked.The ranger sighed.  
"She was being careless, let a group of teens see her and her thirst for blood was becoming ridiculous" the ranger says "this is her replacement though she will do well,put up a good fight, I like the strong ones" he says and skims his fingers across her jawline, she cringes away. Dean was becoming impatient, all they need to do is knock him out and get him to other agents in the area.  
"This is getting boring" Dean says, almost growling it and shoots the vamp in both his knees. The vamp buckles and hits the floor. He then runs over but the vamp still got some strength left and hits him down, he grabs his blade and just cuts in the air a flaying legs and arms, he's cut al lot off he can tell but it wouldn't kill the vamp, luckily he's unconscious though. Cas looks at him and then runs over to the women in the chair. Dean checks if the guys out which causes blood to coat his hands from the blood dripping out of His limbs, he stares down at it and watches it follow the bumps and waves of his palms as it evens out. He hears his heart beating in his ears and he's hyper aware of everything from the reassuring voice of Cas telling the women that  
_it's ok we're here to help_  
_I'm just going to take these off ok tell me if anything hurts_  
His eyes zoom in on everything, castiel's hands working fast on rope, a leaking pipe at the far corner with the dripping almost as loud as his heart beat, he feels his bones under his skin and his breathing in his chest. He doesn't know what's happening but he's seeing things now, blood, blades, wounds and the weak breaths of someone, not him but of someone else that he knows but can't see or rember. A voice is telling him that this is his fault but he doesn't know what is his fault but guilt seems to drown him and he doesn't know what's happening.  
He hears laughing, a high ugly one  
"Your crazy man, look at you you're a mess" his vision comes back wobbly and blurred, the red is gone though and the vamps face is there again but awake it seems and he laughing as blood drips from his hair line.  
"Dean come on we've got to go just knock him out and carry him, they've probably got backup" it's Cas he can hear now but he stares at the laughing face lay under him "DEAN" he snaps out of it and looks up "come on" he's holding the women in his arms who seems to of passed out, probably from Deans limb cutting. He nods and grimaces as he picks up what's left of the vamp, hopefully they can get information out of him.  
They run out the best they can with two dead waits and head down the drive, the other vamp forgotten.  
"We can put him in the trunk and I'll be with her in the back" Cas says as they get to the gate. Dean goes over first and wraps the guy up in a blanket he has and locks him in the back. He takes the women off Cas and then opens the back door, he put her in and cas gets in at the other side. He's alright now, well as alright as he could be at the time. He decides he can worry about what the hell happend back there later, future Dean can deal with that mess.  
He pulls out and speeds round the corners  
"We should keep her out of this, give her a contact number in case and then leave her the hospital and just tell her to make up a story" Dean says as the women slowly come back as they get closer to the hospital. Cas is hesitant but nods. Their eyes lock in the mirror and cas has that concerned look in his eye and even from the front of the car he can feel the slow and steady feel of Cas around him,like Deans an injured animal or something. Dean glares back and then continues driving dangerously.  
Cas gets out with the girl and tells her some things he can't hear and she gives a nod and then a big hug which Cas doesn't know how to return but with an awkward pat on the back, she hobbles off towards the steps and Cas gets into the front. Dean smirks over at cas who frowns back at him  
"What?" Cas asks as Dean backs out once more  
"She liked you" he says with a teasing tone, Cas shakes his head but with a slight hint of amusement  
"Just doing my job" Cas says as he rubs at the blood on his shirt. Dean chuckles lightly  
"Who wouldn't want a handsome fella like you?" Dean says sarcastically...but with a slight truth, he couldn't help but like the guy little more as he looked back at how reassuring and gentle Cas was with the girl, he try's to forget what else's was happening at the time. Cas doesn't reply but his lips twitch slightly like the beginning of a smile. The rest of the trip is silent but not unpleasant.  
They head off to another more expensive motel than where they were staying where they met up with Garth who usually gives them lots of intel from 'on the ground' you could say, he's a nice guy and you can't help but feel his optimism rub off on you a bit. He not far out but they exchange worried glances when they hear the bang of the trunk as the vamp wakes up.  
They park in the lot outside the motel, the sky has a couple of clouds but mostly clear it's still cold and the last remains of snow are still there as well as the bare trees. They think over how they're going to get the body in but decide just to leave him in there, they knock him out again of course. They knock on room 23 and Garth opens the door with a big smile  
"Dean!" He says with his arms already stretched out  
"Hey Garth" he says and accepts the hug (not like he has a choice) and pats him on the back  
"Agent Novak" Garth says a business like tone and a cheeky grin but hugs him anyway  
"Agent" Cas replies still looking awkward.  
"Come in,come in" Garth says and steps back. The room is just so Garth, there's a small bar with neon lights, a long bright couch and loads of other over the top decor.  
"So we've got the vamp in my trunk" Dean says and points a thumb behind himself  
"Well that's great, any serious damage we need info not a dead vamp"  
"His arms and legs are off"Cas says, this whole conversation sounds to causal which is concerning to Dean. Garth looks over wide eyed. Cas looks over at Dean and then Garth nods.  
"Ah, well that's not too bad he is a vamp after all, at least his head is still on" Garth says with a slight skeltical look. They nod and go silent, Dean also almost blushes at the fact it's because of Dean _once again_ , this isn't the first time he's done something a bit out of the ordinary (a bit would be an understatement) and Garth has seen much of this, Cas must of heard the story's.  
"Well should we get to work, leave him with you and we'll call in" Dean says breaking the silence. Cas coughs and Garth nods  
"Yeah I'll figure out a way to get the vamp somewhere better than your trunk" Garth says, they all head out, Cas makes the call and Dean helps Garth bundle the guy up so they can quickly run into the room  
"This is why dodgey shit is done at night" Dean mutters as they put him on the bed. Castiel walks in and puts his phone away  
"Singer says me and Winchester head back and someone will come to get the vamp from Garth" they nod and say their goodbyes.

"Hopefully see you two in better circumstances some time" Garth says with a smile as he lets go of cas. They all agree and they both head off.  
"I could use a drink" Dean says as he gets into the drivers side  
"Agreed but let's get cleaned up first" Cas says as he presses at the deep purple bruises on his face, dried blood trekked across his face.Dean nods.  
They head to a motel and get some strange looks from the lady at the front when she sees their appearance, honestly they need to be more careful next time. They each take a shower and get into something more comfortable to go find a place for a drink. It's getting darker as the walk down the street, the street lamps are already on and if there was a moon you couldn't see it as clouds took over the sky.  
They walk into a busy bar and cas says he'll get them a table and Dean can get the drinks. The lady at the bar is giving him the look and she looks like they type he'd go for but he's not in the mood, he just wants a drink and a break. He looks around with two beers in his hands and finds Cas at a table silently as he fiddle with a piece of card on the high table, Dean sits in the stool opposite Causing a Cas to jump. He hands the beer over and gets a nod in return. The first swig feels like Heaven, the cool liquid relaxes him as it slides down his throat. He makes a slight noise and notices Cas staring.  
"What?" He asks, Cas blushes slightly and then takes a swig of his beer  
"Nothing" he replies and looks anywhere but Dean's eyes. Dean frowns but takes a sip of his beer and cherishes the cold taste once more.  
They don't do much talking obviously but the ice cold beer was too nice after such a long drive and chopping heads off so they wouldn't be talking anyway. But Dean looks at cas when he gets the chance, he can't help it. He's still got bruises across his face and his eye is slightly swollen but he still looks...handsome, his eyes may be blood shot and the bruises are deep colours but his blue eyes still beam through unnaturally.  
He decides to stop that cheesy and weird train of thought before he starts writing his name and cas' in his diary with a heart surrounding it, he hates the guy remember.  
Afterwards Dean decides he just wants some sleep before they have to head back and cas agrees so they head out afterwards, the loud and confined space was giving Dean a headache anyway.  
It's definitely much cooler but he's got his trusty plaid on and his well broken into jeans on so he's not worried about the icy air. They walk in silence down a block before cas looks like he wants to say something and it takes Dean a minute before he gets impatient  
"You wanna say something then spit it out" Dean said. Cas looks over at him for a little more than what would be normal but then looks down at his feet. He looks almost shy or hesitant which is a lot of emotion from someone like Novak.  
"Back at the uh...nest, I was just wondering what happened" Cas says, his voice is it's normal neutral tone but something else too. Dean knows what cas is talking about, Cas was staring at him when he was having his mini crazy moment or whatever.  
"What do you mean" he can at least play dumb for a bit till either Cas drops it or he gives in, he doesn't want to have a heart to heart with the man either though.  
"You know what I'm talking about" cas says, his breath visable in the cold air. Dean doesn't say anything for while and it's only when they're a road or two away from the motel that he decides maybe he should say something.  
"I just zoned out its fine, there was a lot of blood that's all" he says and his mind agreeing that he's that was acceptable. Castiel however doesn't look as convinced, he gives him a look that Dean can't see well because he isn't looking at cas but he feels the heavy gaze on the side of his face and it makes him uncomfortable. He coughs and luckily they make it to the motel in time that he's got a distraction. He doesn't need cas' pity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out to be much longer than I expected but I think it's better than the last one. Sorry for all mistakes (it's not checked by anyone else if that isn't obvious) and I hope you enjoyed it.


	8. Chapter eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some not very pleasant scenes you could say just so you know :)

Dean looks over at his phone, _1:15_. He sighs and lays on his back once again. He'd been tossing and turning since he hit the pillow. It's not like he does or doesn't want to go to sleep but a voice in his head is saying _you'll have a nightmare if you fall asleep_  
His eyes are wide open and he's surprised that he doesn't feel tired, it's probably because this isn't the first time he's been up all night. The many times he's had to stay up because the planet is at stake or his brother on a couple of occasions meant sleep was not a priority, his body just adjusted so now all he does is stay awake as sleep takes hours anyway. Cas turns on the other bed so he's facing him. His hair is a silhouette against the faint light of the moon and it looks much the opposite than during the day where it's neat and every hair is in place, now it's a wild mess of dark hair. He looks away and shoves off his sheets. Grabbing the folder and an empty report sheet Cas carried around he sat at the table. There was a lamp on the small table which gave off a warm light. He finds a pen and starts to fill in the report, he might as well get some of it done now. He hears more rustling and then notices Cas sit up in his periphery vison. He doesn't look over though and just continues to write out the incident. "You're awake" his voice his much lower, thick with sleep and Dean can't help but fidget a bit at the deep tone. "Very observant of you agent" he replies and continues to write. He listens to the scribble of his pen. Castiel is quiet and Dean almost feels like Cas had fallen asleep whilst sitting up. He looks over and catches Cas staring, it's not his normal stare maybe it's due to the sleep he'd just had. Dean coughs but keeps his eyes on cas. He almost looks human with his wild tufts of hair and sleepy look. "You want a picture or something?" Dean asked sarcastically. Cas shrugs  
"Why are you awake so early?" Cas asks with the beginning of a frown. Dean rolls his eyes "It's not important" Dean says and flips his pen between his fingers.  
"Is it because of the nightmares?" Cas asks sounding sincere. Dean huffs a laugh  
"No course not, everyone gets nightmares" Dean says and carrys on writing  
"Not like yours"Cas says. Dean lets out a slow breath and grips his pen  
"Can you shut your mouth and go back to sleep" Dean snaps.  
Cas doesn't flinch "I have nightmares like you do sometimes" he says and ignores Deans rude comment "I don't know what your dreams are about but I always remember waking up in a cold sweat" cas says as he picks at a loose thread on his t-shirt.  
"I don't care, I'm not gunna have a little feelings talk with an asshole like you" Dean snaps. Cas doesn't move and keeps staring, if Cas had lasers for eyes he'd probably bore holes through Deans head by now. He looks over with a pissed off expression.  
"God do you ever stop staring!" Dean snaps.  
"I'm waiting" Cas says with a monotone voice.  
"For what?" Dean says still pissed off  
"For you to tell the truth" Cas says simply. Dean has his mouth open  
"What?" He says completly confused "your so weird" Dean says and returns to his work. Cas doesn't answer and just lies back down. Leaving the room in silence.

 

Dean manages to get thirty minutes of sleep but he's ok with that and it wasn't long enough for any traumatic nightmares. Cas woke up looking grumpy once again and took a little while to get ready. It was funny to watch the man turn from a real looking human to his up tight no fun look. Cas picked up his duffel and they checked out.  
It was still dark and the air around was ice cold. His breath was visible when they went past a street lamp. The sound of a siren could be heard but apart from that the sound from the highway was the only thing that could be heard.  
"You sure you can drive" Cas says as Dean unlocks the trunk with slightly numb fingers  
"Yeah of course, why?" Dean asks comepletly confused  
"You had no sleep" Cas says and doesn't head to the passenger door. Dean rolls his eyes.  
"I did have sleep actually" Dean says. It wasn't completly a lie but it's not like you could last a day with thirty minutes of sleep.  
"Your eyes don't say that" Cas says as he peers back at Dean, his bright blue eyes glinted in the dark parking lot as orange light from the street lamp lit up the side of his face.  
"I have no idea what you mean" Dean says and opens the car door as he gets ready to take the thin sheet of ice off the windscreen.  
"They're dull and you have bags under your eyes" Cas replies without hesitating. Dean frowns "What do you mean dull?" He asks as he look for something to get the ice off  
"They're usually bright green but they were red rimmed and dull, you haven't slept for long enough" Cas replies. Dean takes a deep breath and grips the door  
"Just get the in fucking car" Dean snaps. He glares over at cas who gulps and looks away "Fine" Cas says and gets in without glancing at Dean. He rolls his eyes and then starts getting the car ready for a long drive back to Kansas.

 

**************** 

It's about three hours to the long drive when it happens. They are off the main road as they need a bathroom break. The sun is only just scraping the horizon and the clouds are dim with an early morning glow. He's tired, like really tired and his eyes are drooping. He speeds up so the purr of the engine keeps his eyes open to remind him that he's driving. Cas fidgeted next to him but he's not saying anything. As he continues to say to himself in his head  
_your in a car and driving_  
_keep your eyes open_  
He's thinking so much in fact that he doesn't know his eyes are slowly shutting as the dark looks like the road ahead and the blur of the landscape is just like the back of his eyelids. "DEAN" His eyes fly open but the car is swerving directly off onto the side of the road. He slams the brakes so hard they fall forward but their fine, he thinks, he can't see any blood. He coughs and rubs his chest where he hit the steering wheel. Luckily he'd hit the brakes in time that they didn't fall into the ditch a couple of feet on the side of the road. The door opens and his head snaps over as he watches Cas stumble and fall out of the car. He sees him heave and notices as he pukes up everything in his stomach onto the sandy dirt on the edge of the road. He notices the full body shake and the slight whimper as cas keeps the rest of his body up on rapidly shaking arms. "CAS" Dean jumps out and heads over to cas. Castiel is still in the same position. He places his hand in cas's back, he feels Cas stiffen slightly underneath him but then calms as much as he could when he's still heaving. Slowly Dean rubs at cas' back and he waits for Cas to calm down. Cas butts Dean's hand away and falls back against the car as he breaths heavily "I fucking told you" Cas says in a wobbly voice, his skin glistening with sweat in the dark light. "You can't fucking drive on no sleep you dick bag" Cas snarls as he loosens his tie and Dean watches the movement. He blinks, nows not the time. The amount of curse words Cas is spewing out is surprising for someone like Cas, well he's got the right when he's just thrown everything up. "Cas-"  
"No _Dean_ , fuck you I'm driving" Cas says.  
Slowly Cas gets up on shaky legs. Dean tries to support him but cas makes a noise that sound like a growl and shoves past Dean to the drivers side. Dean just gets into the passenger side. "Get some sleep and then you can drive your precious car again" Cas says with what sounds like disgust. Despite Dean wanting to prove Cas wrong that he wasn't that tired, once he's rested his head on his jacket he falls asleep instantly 

 

_Dean is standing there at Bobby's house and Jo, Sam, Bobby and what surprised him most was his parents. He wants to ask why they're here but his thirst goes dry and suddenly he collapses on the floor as blood flys out of him. It burns in his throat and every time he breathes the more blood he chokes out. He tries to speak but it's muffled and he's in pain. He can't tell if they're helping or just standing there because every time he tries his stomach clenches and blood coats the floor again and again. It hurts and it won't stop_

 

Dean jolts awake and instinctively holds his throat. Cas is silent and driving the car well which relaxes Deans mind as he lies back agaisnt the seat. He surprised himself when he let Cas drive but he felt it was good idea to at least try and get some sleep, hoping that he wouldn't have another nightmare but that didn't turn out well. Cas looks better than he did earlier (however long ago that was).  
"Morning, well almost afternoon as it's 11:50" Cas comments as he takes a look at his watch. "Where are we?" Dean asks as he takes in the slow starts and stops of traffic.  
"Just entering St. Louis" Cas says "there's food on the backseat if your hungry" Cas says without glancing at Dean. Dean grabs the bag in the backseat and opens it up, inside is a few granola bars, a bottle of water and pie. Dean ignored the rest and goes straight for pie. It's cheap gas station pie in plastic container but with enough experience Dean knows that on occasion it can taste good. He opens it and smiles pleasantly at the sweet smell that rises up from the mixed berries. "Thanks" Dean says as he attempts to eat it without getting crumbs everywhere. Cas just hums in reply. Dean is enjoying the pie but half of him feels heavy guilt at the memory of what happened back in the morning. Cas must of had a really bad panic attack and all because of Dean acting childish. He chews slowly, the sweet flavour on his tongue is going sour now and he look softly over at cas, hoping Cas doesn't know. He looks emotionless and well put together once more. His jaw is set tight though and his eyes are completely laserd on the traffic ahead.  
"Cas-"  
"Don't call me that, we're not friends" Cas says . Dean swallowed and nodded silently  
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry" Dean mumbles. Cas doesn't reply straight away  
"Yeah sure" Cas says with sarcasm. Dean looks over at cas and bites his lip  
"I...I really-"  
"Don't bother" Cas cuts in again. Dean clenches his jaw  
"If you could just let me-"  
"No, I don't want to talk about it just eat your damn pie" Cas says with a harsh voice. Dean opens his mouth but doesn't retort with something stupid, he'll just prove Cas right otherwise. 

 

****************** 

It's around one in the afternoon when they swap over so cas could get the last couple of hours to sleep. From what Dean can tell however is that whenever Cas drifts off he seems to snap wide awake when the car goes over uneven ground or Dean has to slam the breaks occasionally. Also just when they'd got out of Kansas City a driver was being a jackass and Dean went into total road rage which made Cas wake up panicking, Cas didn't go to sleep after that. 

When they got back Wichita Cas looked simply awful with tired eyes and his shoulder sagging. He's had a tough day, tough week as well. The bruises are slowly turning yellow and green but they still scatter his face and cuts are turning to scabs. Being sick probably wore him out too. Dean gave a concerned look but got out of the car.  
"You can head home or wherever if you'd like, I'll go tell Bobby we're back and give in the report" Dean says and holds the folder in his hand with the report safetly inside. Cas looks back at him and nods silently as he goes to get his duffle. 

Dean heads over to Bobby's office and sees Hester yapping away with another women who has dark brown hair and has a strong accent when she talks. Dean coughs to make himself noticed and Hester stops laughing at whatever the other women was saying and gave him her usual smile  
"How can I help you agent" Hester says as the other women looks over at Dean with a smirk "I'd like to talk to Bobby please" Dean says. Hester nods  
"You're Winchester aren't you" the other women says. Dean looks at her skepticly but nods. She splits into a wide grin and turns to Dean seeming to now have full attention "I've heard a lot about you" she says raising her eyebrows. Dean frowns "I'm Meg" she says and puts her hand out. Dean slowly takes her hand and then shakes it. Then he remembers what Charlie had said "Oh I remember who you are" Dean says and takes his hand back  
"Awe,Was Clarence talking about me" Meg says. Dean frowns  
"She's talking about Novak sir" Hester says. Dean nods _of course_.  
"No it wasn't actually, Charlie told me about you" Dean says. Meg nods with a smile  
"Yeah that's my unicorn, very closed off isn't he?" Meg asks rhetorically  
"You could say that" Dean replies  
"He's not always like that, depends how you know him" Meg says as she readjusts herself on the side of Hester's desk  
"Well I suppose when you've seen each other under the sheets you're bound to have a different perspective" Dean replies with a mocking smirk as he looks her over. Meg sits up and her mouth goes into a thin line.  
"I see it now" Meg says with a smirk.  
"See what?" Dean replies  
"How much of douche you are, Cas talked about you but I thought it's just because Cas tends to be rather a pessimist when it comes to making new friends...but he was right on this one" Megs says and gets up giving Dean a playful eye which is giving Dean a lot of different signs. But he's not concentrating on that right now "I'll see you around Winchester" Meg says as she walks away from them. He looks down at Hester who has an un-readable expression on her face.  
"Mr Singer will see you now" she says and then starts typing on her computer. Dean doesn't take another minute to think about Meg and just heads in.  
"Evening Dean" Bobby says "now what do you want" Dean smiles at Bobby's words and then puts the folder on Bobby's desk and the takes a seat.  
"I've written up the report" Dean says getting out the paper. Bobby takes it and hums in approval  
"Well done you've seemed to of cleaned up what you left but let's not forget that more people have died than they should have because of your clumsiness" Bobby says as he places the sheet on a rack of papers. Dean nods "Where's Novak by the way" Bobby says as he leans back in his chair  
"He needed rest so he headed back to where he's staying" Dean says hoping he didn't get Cas into trouble for telling him he should head home. Bobby nodded  
"How is the whole partner thing working out by the way" Bobby asks. Dean swallows and fiddles with his sleeve.  
He shrugs "Alright" Dean mumbles. Bobby doesn't answer straight away  
"Dean" Bobby says, Dean looks up and Bobby's seems to be giving a warning look  
"What?" He asks. Bobby shakes his head  
"You two need to resolve what ever issues you've got and do your jobs, getting along with your partner is important and you know that" Bobby says. Dean looks away and lets go of his sleeve  
"Yes I know that...we just don't see eye to eye" Dean replies. He catches Bobby roll his eyes and sit forward  
"Don't start that shit, why don't you put on your big boy pants and suck it up, you need to ignore whatever grudge your both holding and finish this case" Bobby says. Dean nods and yet again feels like a scolded child "get out and take the folder with you I've already got that one" Bobby says. Dean nods and heads out of the office. 

Dean decides to go talk to Charlie as right now he just needed to tell someone everything. Charlie was sitting at the table reading the hobbit for probably the millionth time and the book showed it, the cover was worn, pages were dogeared and all together the book had seen better days. But it was Charlie's most treasured object so he wasn't judging.  
"Hey Charlie" Dean says as he falls down into a chair opposite her. She wakes from her reading trance and looks over at him with a smile.  
"Hey Dean how's it going" she says and places the book down on the table next to her. He shrugs.  
"Yeah it's all good" he says, lying through his teeth. Charlie's smile fades and she leans forward.  
"What happened?" she asks. Dean takes a breath and tries to remember where to start  
"I messed up Charlie, real bad" he says as he pull his hand through his short hair.  
"What did you do?" He sits up as Charlie waits  
"With Cas, again and with the fucking car isn't that a surprise" he says. Charlie doesn't answer and waits for him to elaborate "I didn't get any sleep the night before and...he said I shouldn't drive because it's not safe and then I snap at him so then we're driving and I close my eyes for too long and-" he takes a breath "then we swerve off and he's throwing up on the side of the road and shaking like you wouldn't believe. Then he's cursing at me and he drives and I don't know what to do" Dean says. Charlie doesn't answer for a second  
"Your a fucking idiot" Charlie says. He nods "the poor guy, did you apologise or anything?" She asks.  
"Yeah I tried to say something but he shut me down fast" Dean explains.  
"You'll have to keep trying, or you know be civil and all that" Charlie says.  
"I'm surpsied he didn't punch me...I'd punch me" he says with a frown. Charlie sighs and rolls her eyes  
"If you want to make it up to him I suggest stop feeling sorry for yourself and actually talk to him, you Winchesters have a problem with communicating with people" Charlie says. He nods she's not wrong there He thinks.  
So on his way home he thinks about how he's going to make it up to cas. 

 

Dean walks into the office block and tries to stifle a yawn. He decided since Cas gets to work before him he'd get there first. On his way he went to his favourite bakery owned by a dear friend named Benny. He got a slice of the best pie he's ever tasted for Cas and then goes to get him a drink, he thinks coffee with a load of cream (he remembers that Cas likes it like that) so he decides to go to starbucks and feels like an idiot as he orders one.  
He gets to cas' desk and takes in the neat display of pens which were all neatly in their pot, papers on the rack were stacked perfectly and not a speck of dust in sight. Dean clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. He placed the stuff on the desk (neatly of course) and waited. Cas didn't take long. He had his briefcase in one hand and his normal business look on once again. Dean stood a bit straighter and the Cas noticed him. A slight part of his professionalism fell as he took in Dean standing nervously at his desk but he carried on towards him.  
"Mornin' sunshine" Dean says with his prize winning smile. Cas gave him a displeased look "Don't call me that" Cas says. Dean ignores that and moves away from the desk a bit.  
"I uh got you breakfast" Dean says nervously. Cas looks everything over sceptically and put his case down near his chair. He looked into the bag and observed the drink.  
"I don't need your peace offering" Cas says  
"It's not a peace offering...just breakfast" Dean says in a higher tone  
"So you give all the people you hate expensive pastries?" Cas asks. Dean scratches the back of his head  
"Actually I know the guy that owns the place so...half price" he mumbles nervously with a smile. Cas tilts his head at him with confusion.  
"Ok ok...I'm just trying to say I'm sorry and since you didn't accept it I uh thought I'd get you food" Dean explains. Cas just looks at him with a look Dean can't decipher and then lets out lots of sir with his shoulders sagging. Dean perks up a bit, this could be a good sign.  
"I'm sorry too...I was rude back then and I shouldn't of taken it out on you, it wasn't your fault" Cas says. Dean frowns  
"No really it was me I'm sorry, I'm the one who made you have a flash back or something and I should of listened to you and-"  
"What do you mean flash back?" Cas asks. Dean gulps  
_ok we can pull this back, just a slip of the tongue_  
Dean tries to find the words for an excuse but he's just opening and closing his moth like a freakin' fish.  
"What do you know" Cas says as anger clouds over him  
"Enough" he says. He doesn't mean too but his brain is short circuiting and he doesn't know what's coming out of his mouth. Cas doesn't answer for a bit  
"You looked me up!" His voice is beginning to rise  
"No I just-"  
"I don't wanna hear it" Cas growls and then shoves the food and drink at Dean. Cas walks off and Dean is left standing there. 

 

Dean still feels shell shocked from earlier on the morning. He hasn't seen Cas since. Garth is yapping Deans ear off as they stand outside the interrogation room. He's waiting for Bobby to come down and watch the interrogation but he also has to wait for Cas as well. Garth decided to pop in along with the vamp of course because he's just like that and lucky for Dean, Garth sees him first. "So anyway the werewolf is just running at me and he hits into the pipe, knocking him out cold-"  
"Bobby hey, finally" Dean butts in as he breaks out of his mini trance of him calling himself a fucking idiot.  
"Yeah yeah now hurry up and get some info out of this vamp" Bobby says grumpily as Becky continued to pull at Singers sleeve as she holds an Ipad. Dean rubs his hands together as he opens the interrogation room door "where's you friend" Bobby says with amusement. Dean glares back  
"I don't know" Dean says as he walks in. The vamp is tied up in the chair with his limbs safely closed up as stumps. Dean can't help but be amused at the sight of him sitting in a chair, it's not like he could escape anyway.  
"Oh hello Dean" the vamp says, still as snarky as he was with longer limbs.  
"Right back at you _Cory_ " Dean says. The vamp smiles  
"You must of found my Facebook" Cory says with a smile and a laugh. Dean laughs back sarcastically but then straightens up again "oh yeah right I forgot, lets be professional" the vamp continues.  
"Can't wait to cut your head off" Dean says. The vamp laughs once again.  
"Say, where's your buddy" the vamp says peering around like Cas is lurking in a corner somewhere.  
"Not here" Dean says, he didn't actually know where Cas was but he wasn't going to wait for him to turn up. The vamp nods  
"Shame, I'd love to of teased him" the vamp says. Dean frowns but ignores it as he takes a seat at the table between him and the tied up vampire.  
"Enough of the small talk, the sooner we finish the sooner I can chop your stupid head off" the vamp grins at him.  
"You should get that blood thirst checked out, enjoying murder that much is unhealthy" the vamp says in amusement  
"Your full of laughs aren't you" Dean says sarcastically. The door opens and in steps Castiel with a folder in his hand.  
"Oh Cassie my dear how was work" the vamp says once again. Cas frowns and Dean glares back at him."I would raise my hands in surrender but no dice, can't do that without hands I found out" the vamp continues  
"Does your brain run on sarcasm or is that just a vamp thing" Dean says. The vamp shrugs "You seem to run on it too, but all monsters are like that aren't they Dean" Dean glares at the vamp who's smirking back at him.  
"I can't rely on you to do a job on your own can I" Cas butts in as he opens the folder. Dean glares at cas but doesn't say anything. Cas gets out some photos of missing peope, who Dean knows everything about from his late nights. Cas neatly lays them out facing the vamp and the moves the folder aside. He just stares at the vamp for longer than acceptable which disheartens the vamp slightly  
"These missing people were found in states at the same time as dead bodies were found, this is all I could fit on the table" Cas says staring the vamp dead in the eye. He points a finger at a girl with blonde hair "she's only seventeen and she was taken" cas says. The vamp tilted his head slightly  
"Is that supposed to make me tell you everything, want me cry my eyes out?" The vamp asks rhetorically with a pouty face and a whiney voice. Cas just stares back  
"You turn her or just suck all her blood out?" Cas asks. The vamp grins  
"You should start answering his questions before I smash your face in" Dean says with a snarl. The vamp laughs loudly and flys his head back "What you gunna do big boy?" The vamp asks teasingly. Dean clenches his jaw and try's to remember to breathe.  
"You gunna hulk out on me" Dean grips the table as the vamp continues to antagonise Dean "Lets get back on track shall we" Cas says as gives a quick glance between to the two  
"No this is much more fun" the vamp says with a grin "didn't mamma tell you violence isn't the answer" the vamp says. Dean suddenly sees red and he forgets to breath  
"Dean-" whatever Cas was about to say is gone with the wind.  
Dean stands up and has the decency to not flip the table with rage but what he does do is shove the vamps chair back so he's lying still with a grin and Dean wants to wipe it off preferably with his fists. He punches and kicks until Cas must of woken from his trance and leaps over. Cas is shouting but Dean can't hear as the blood rushes in his ears. He feels hands firmly hold him and pull him back and he tries to get out but the strength is too much and he's pulled out of the room leaving a laughing vamp. He's shoved harshly at a wall and he takes in bright blue eyes through the red. There's a muffled voice amongst the ringing in his ears but he sees the swirls of blues from deep to light, so light that their almsot white and they ground Dean somehow and everything slowly comes back. There's a hand firmly spread across the front of his shoulder and another on his arm, it all helped him come back down. "Dean!" Cas says angrily.  
"What?" He asks, mumbled.  
"What the hell was that?" Cas demanded. Their strangely close and he has a strange urge but he doesn't know why.  
"I...don't know...I just..." Dean says as he looks into cas' eyes. They go silent, silently and their just staring at each other. Cas wets his lips only slightly so that only if you were staring at them directly would you notice. Dean notices that he's staring at the pale pink, chapped lips and then looks back up at cas' ocean eyes. Cas has got noticeably closer as Dean feels his warm breath against his cheek. Dean bites his lip and cas watches the action. Deans hairs are standing on end and his heart beats faster. And then cas' eyes widen Castiel lets go of Deam and bounces back like he was just burnt.  
Dean opens his mouth and Cas looks like a deer in headlights  
"I'm sor-" Cas chokes "I'm sorry" Cas blushes and runs off and leaves Deam stunned and alone. 

 

A second after Bobby comes out looking furious and shouts profanities at Dean but he isn't listening. He can still fell the warm breath ghost across his face, the firm touch on his chest and bright blue eyes that were startling but yet so calming. He nods along as he barely listens to what Bobby's is saying. His feelings are a mess, he's confused and panicked but he can't help but feel something else as he sees the pastel pink lips in his head and the pink of cas' tongue. Dean is told to either go home or sit at his desk for the rest of the day and finish some work he'd left behind for another day. He sits at his desk and taps his pen and then remembers who he can call to pass the time. The phone rings twice before he picks up and Deans already smiling  
"Heya sammy" Dean says  
"Hey Dean it's been a while" Sam says happily. Deans glad that Sam is happy  
"Yeah been busy round here, got a big case but I can't say too much on the phone as you know" Dean replies  
"Yeah I get it, so how's everything else going is my replacement any better than me?" Sam asks with amusement. Dean feels a slight familiar sour feeling in his gut as he remembers Cas.  
"Ah obviously not, he's alright I guess" Deam says, he doesn't want to bitch to Sam.  
"Dean" Sam says with his I'm-not-stupid-tell-me-what's-wrong tone.  
_seriously? Am I that see through, even on the phone?_  
"What? It's all fine. Look enough about me your the one who's engaged all still smooth sailing?" Dean hears Sam sigh on the other end but Sam doesn't bring up any FBI crap.  
"It's good, long but good I swear Jess spent like an hour picking out the right flower arrangements" Sam says in a fond tone  
"Awe, you guys better have pie at that wedding or I'm gunna be pissed" Dean says jokingly. Sam laughs.  
"Of course there will be and I swear if you mention that damn story about me breaking my leg because I wanted to fly like a bird in your best man speech your not getting any cake" Sam says. Dean laughs  
"I promise, scouts honer" Dean says placing a hand on his heart and he tires the full thing but nearly drops the phone  
"You've never even been a scout" Sam says laughing. Dean laughs back "oh hey Jess is gunna hit the roof if she doesn't speak to you soon so I'll hand her over" Sam says with what sounds like a smile. There's a squeal and the movement of a phone  
"Dean hey!" Jess says exitedly  
"Hey Jess congratulations since I haven't seen you since before my brother had the balls to propose" Dean says. She giggles musically  
"This is great who knew getting ready for a wedding would be so fun" she says  
"Ha don't tell Sammy I said this but Sam said he wanted to wear the dress" Dean says with a smirk. She laughs  
"I promise I won't say a word" she says and sounds like she's whispering "So how's the supernatural world doing, no apocalypse or anything" She says. Dean smiles  
"Nah...that's already happened" he says the end through a cough  
"Sorry what was that I didn't quite catch it?" She asks  
"Oh I just said no nothing that bad" he says.  
"It's great to hear from you Dean but we've got to go" "BECAUSE MOOSE IS COMING FOOD SHOPPING AREN'T YOU" she shouts off, probably to Sam. Dean laughs  
"Careful, no burritos" Dean says with a grin  
"I found out about that one the hard way" Jess says. Dean laughs and she eventually joins in "Ok it was great to hear from you two, tell Sam I'll beat his face in if he doesn't treat you right" Dean says. She laughs  
"Promise, speak soon love youuu" she says. Dean smiles  
"Right back at you smiles" she giggles at Deans normal nickname for her and then hangs up the phone. Dean gives one last smile at his phone before putting it away.

 

*******************

 

When Dean heads to the main area where they'll gather to look at the bored with the case he finds Cas sitting at a desk writing stuff out on sticky notes. Dean frowns and walks further so cas can see him. Castiel looks up and then his eyes pop when he notices it's Dean, Cas seems to take in that they're alone but then looks down at his work again.  
"What you writing out?" Dean aks. Cas stops writing on the last one and puts it next to the others  
"Putting down information we got from vamp" Cas says as he stands up. Dean clenches his jaw  
"You did it without me?" Dean asks, irritated which always leads to anger. Cas looks back at him and right into the eyes of course which makes Dean blink  
"Yes you can't seem to mange the childish behaviour of the vamp so me and Garth did it" Cas says and heads over to the board with the notes. Dean glares at the back of cas' head as he calmly sticks them to places on the board.  
"You calling me childish" Dean says angrily  
"Don't be stupid I said the vamp was" Cas says as he turns around with a bored expression. Dean felt anger form in his stomach.  
"So now your calling me stupid?" Deans really is just trying thing to antagonise him.  
"God your infuriating, haven't you got a vamp to beat up or something" Cas says with an eye roll, Dean glares and walks over to cas shoving him against the board so it wobbles "get off me" Cas says with a glare and shove but Dean has him locked in  
"What you gunna do...kiss me?" Dean says with a playful smirk. Cas blushes and any hint of sass is gone as he stands there. Dean laughs "you do that with all you partners?" Cas glares at that and shoves him hard enough. But something else is in his eyes and it looks like Dean has hit a nerve.  
Dean smirks as Cas glares more  
"Asshole" Cas says and shoves past him. Dean smirks and plays with the lapels of his suit like he's the man or some shit. He looks around and suddenly sees Charlie leaning against a desk. She's got an eyebrow raised as she takes a sip of her tea. Dean swallows, not sure how to react.  
"Was that flirting or how you guys always fight?" She asks. Dean rolls his eyes  
"Shut up" he says feeling a flush creep up his neck. She breaks into a grin and takes another sip of her tea "Charlie don't start" Dean warns her. She is still grinning which is almost as bad as her speaking  
"Is it hot in here or what, I knew you guys had a thing" she says. Scratch that, it's worse when she opens her mouth.  
"Charlie" Dean whines. She ignores him and places her cup on the table as she pulls two chairs opposite and then grabs her drink and Deans wrist.  
"Tell me everything" she says excitedly as she gets comfortable as forces Dean into a chair. He rolls his eye and pinches the bridge of his noes  
"No Charlie" he says. She whines  
"Tell meee" she says stomping her feet like a child  
"No, there's nothing to say anyway" he says as he leans back  
"You have that tone that says there damn well is" she says he frowns at her  
"what?" He asks confused  
"So you guys done the dirty yet or you just dancing around each other like some mating ritual" she says excitedly. He doesn't even know what to say  
"No" he comes out with  
"Fine don't tell me but when you do something don't come to me" she say she with a serious face. It doesn't hold obviously and she breaks into a smile "who am I kidding of course I'll listen" she says and gets up from her chair "you guys look cute together I'm telling ya, couple of the year" she says as she walks off. He gives a sacrcastic smile as she walks slowly off "I ship it" she says a she slowly fades away. He shakes his head at his best friend with a fond smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Deans dreams will shift from good to bad as you can tell. Maybe some point in the future there will be more context on Castiel but I'm not sure whether I want it all to be discovered through Dean or not so I'll just see how it goes. Sorry for mistakes :)


	9. Chapter nine

Dean was in a slightly better mood than usual as he looked over the board once again. When they had gotten the vamp to finally talk (he was never told how) they gained quite a good amount of information. It wasn't anything like the first vampire or anything but they were told where vamps nests were. It was also discovered why they dump and pick up people, and their guesses were correct, the vamps needed blood of course so they took random routes around the states as they ate and collected more food. They were not told why they are always moving around but they had locations and the case seems to be moving a long. Dean was still bitter that he didn't get to be there for interrogation but that's only because he wanted to punch the vamp a couple hundred times so perhaps it was for the best. 

Dean was leant against his car as he waited for Cas to join him which wasn't too long. The mans face had cleared up but you could still see the cuts and light greens and yellows on his jaw.  
They were heading for Montana to a town called Bozeman where Cory had said that a nest were hiding out as they waited for the next move. It was decided by Bobby that cas and Dean will be doing most of the travelling as it was them who were chosen to be in control but also that Bobby just wanted the two of them to get along so forcing them to be alone together was obviously the best idea in Bobby's eyes.  
He watched cas throw his bag into the back like he did all the time and they got in. February was still cold so he warmed the car up and they set off for the sixteen hour trip.  
"Seriously, can't these vamps just hide down the street instead of across states" Dean grumbled. Cas hummed next to him as he opens the book Dean hadn't noticed him have with him. He shook his head as he carried on driving. 

Dean swore he was going to start twitching. The only sound for past few hours was the engine and the flip of a page as cas read his book. He decided to put some music on but because he's not a total asshole (or in a too good mood to be one) he turned the music down so cas wouldn't be too distracted. He tapped along to the beat as he turned off the headlights, the sun a good enough guide but still with an early morning feel to it with the sky filled with clouds which were dimmed with a calm yellow from the sun and the sky pale shades of blues and yellows. 

 

He ate his burger and he felt the ketchup fall onto his finger. He hummed and licked a each separate finger for the taste of the bacon grease. Cas rolled his eyes as he ate his burger which surprised Dean but cas said he needed one so Dean wasn't going to argue with that. Dean almost moaned at the taste but managed to hold back with a few whimpers.  
"Seriously just use a tissue" Cas comments as he picks up one. Dean cringed and shook his head  
"I haven't finished yet" Dean said.  
"Just wipe it away, you can't just leave it till your finished" Cas says as he hangs the tissue between them for Dean to take. Dean shook his head again and cas raised an eyebrow. He hung it closer to Dean who batted it away  
"No" Dean replied like a stubborn child.  
"Seriously it will take you a second" Cas relies. Dean put down his burger and flicked the tissue away and shook his head again. They ended up in a mini tissue fight where they kept shoving the tissue at each other. It was ridiculous but Dean couldn't help but smile and surprisingly Cas had the start of one too. It was eventually stopped when Dean flicked out of cas' hand it sailed to the dirty floor of the diner they were in, somewhere just in Colorado.  
They smiled, yes actually smiled at each other. Cas had a shy little smile with a flush on his cheeks and he felt a sudden attraction towards the closed off man opposite. Then he realised where this was going and he had to stop it. Castiel seemed to realise the same thing and his eyes went wide. Dean coughed and fiddled with his burger as cas blushed and grabbed a napkin that he ripped at slowly. 

 

It was dark now and only a few hour until they got to Bozeman. Cas had stopped reading a while ago and looked through a case file till it was too dark and then just looked out the window. Dean had turned the music off too, he loved it but it felt good to hear silence. Sometimes he couldn't help but watch the way castiel's eyes would reflect the light from the headlights of oncoming traffic as the angelic blues continued to lighten cas' bored face. They weren't talking It wasn't awkward though and it concerned Dean how they managed to do that but he didn't want to delve into that pit of feelings any time soon so he kept his mind on the road. 

Dean parked in front of the small motel and got out. The cold hair hit him but he ignored the winter atmosphere and clicked his joints and got the blood circulating again. Cas had already headed off to get a room so Dean got out their bags and locked up his car. The motel was one of those again, small and shit. The whole thing was on the ground floor and was made out of what looked like cement if the grey colour was anything to go by. There was a plastic roof over the pathway where the doors were and a red neon sign highlighted a few rooms. Cas came back jangeling the keys and the they continued to their room.  
Cas turned the light on and it flickered at first but stayed on afterwards. Cas tossed his bag on the bed closest to the door so Dean took the other. Dean caught sight of the shitty TV but decided he might as well watch some before he _had_ to go to bed so he toed his shoes off and put his tie and jacket on a chair. He fell onto the bed, it wasn't the comfiest of course but it was better than sitting on your ass for hours. He watched as cas took off his own jacket and loosened his tie and then grabbed his book  
"I've never seen you with that before, what you reading" Dean asks as Cas takes a seat at the table.  
"You wouldn't know him" Cas says as he flips to his marked page. Dean sits up slightly  
"Try me" Dean says. Cas looks up  
"Don't think it's your sort of book" Cas says and Dean nods "jack kerouac" Cas says. Dean raises his eyebrows and Cas frowns "you know of him?" Cas asks like it's the most unlikely thing. Dean chuckles  
"Well I've got a nerd of a brother who has an interesting group of friends once when he was in collage" Dean says with a fond smile. Cas tilts his head  
"Your brother went to collage?" Cas asks. Dean thinks it over and then nods, what's the harm anyway  
"Yeah" Dean replies  
"I was told you two grew up 'in the life'" Cas had his book down by now so he did the bunny ears which made Dean have to bite his tongue from amusement  
"Yeah people talk but I guess it's not all true" he says to cas who gives a small twitch of his lips which Dean has figured out is the only way Cas really smiles. But it's more in the eyes that you see it, his emotions.  
"So why are you reading it anyway, not always a popular choice" Dean says. Cas shrugs and looks down with a hint of sadness  
"It reminded me of someone that's all..." Cas says. It doesn't look like a 'that's all' sort of comment, he notices how he's lost any possible glimpse of those blue orbs and he can see Cas going back into his shell right before his eyes "I'm going to have a shower first if you don't mind" cas says. Dean shrugs and watches as cas gets his stuff together. He watches Cas close the door and he doesn't move for a second or so and then just starts channel surfing.

Dean wakes up in a sweat again, not as bad as previous times but enough to wake him up panting. He looks over and notices Cas sitting on the dresser below the window. The red light turns his face into waves of red and dark, defining his cheek bones. Dean doesn't say anything as he sits up. Castiel is just looking out in his sleep clothes as cars pass occasionally. He looks at his phone for the time _3:05_.  
"Good morning" Dean says thick with sleep still. Cas jumps slightly and glances over "we've got a few hours, why are you up now?" Dean asks. Cas turns back to the window and shrugs. Dean notices castiel's book on the table and glances back to him "Cas" Dean says  
"Don't call me that" Cas says but it didn't seem as hateful as the last time and Dean took that as a win. He doesn't know what he was winning but it felt like it would count. He gets up and walks over to cas who doesn't look back at him.  
He looks out and sees the sky turning a deep blue and the street lamps were still on. He sits on the other side and watches Cas. He doesn't know quite what he's doing but it feels right.  
It's silent for a minute and then Cas speaks up "I just wanted to think" Dean snorted at that and cas gave a glare at him "if your going to be a jerk about it I suggest you go back to sleep" Dean put some his hands up in surrender  
"Is it about your friend?" Dean asks  
"Why should I tell you anything" Cas says as he leans against the wall on the edge of the window  
"I'm your partner and we should probably get along more" Dean says. He catches cas' eye who looks back into his and he sighs.  
"Just thinking of someone..." Cas says and then looks away "someone close" the headlights of a car flash across castiel's face and his eyes flash with blues but gone just as quick  
"What like a brother?" Dean asks and thinks back to the time Charlie told him about Cas having a brother  
"No not a brother" Cas replies as he gulps. Dean grins  
"Got a lady out there?" Dean asks in amusement. Cas gives him a quick glance and the bites his lip which is the most enticing move he could do at night, Dean looks down and gazes at how his teeth fall into his full bottom lip as the lights shine off the lines of his chapped lips. Dean notices that he's not grinning or teasing anymore and clears his throat.  
"It's not a...I'm thinking of him" Cas says, he's quiet and Dean realises what he's saying  
_oh_  
He thinks and notices how Cas gives him worried looks and closes in on himself like he'll be shouted at or punched in the face  
"So you're feeling home sick" Dean says and feels a pang of something because Cas has someone. Who will hold him and kiss him and tell him everything will be ok. He gulps and frowns at himself, why does he even care?  
"No...he's not here-" Cas cuts himself off and Dean almost slaps himself because this must be a dream as cas looks like he's about to cry "he's gone-" his voice has gone a few pitches higher and he keeps his eyes glued on something outside. Dean's mouth falls open when he realises what he means and he feels like an absolute asshole that he felt _jealousy_.  
"I'm sorry" he doesn't know what to say. He's lost his fair share of family members but never a lover, he's never _had_ a lover. Cas shake she his head  
"No I'm sorry your right, it's too early and you've been driving for sixteen hours, just go back to bed" Cas says his voice is wavering and when he's not talking he's got his lip trapped under his teeth so hard it look so like he might break skin. Dean doesn't move though.  
"Not going to let you cry till the suns up in the sky, you need sleep too"  
"I'm not going to cry" Cas says angrily. Dean catches his eye once again and raises his eyebrows at him "shut up" Cas grumbles. Dean smiles at him and cas huffs back with a small twitch of his lips.  
"So has he got a name?" Dean asks.  
"Baltherzar, the book was his as a gift from his dad" Cas smiled a fond smile "he always told me how his father obsessed over the author but I think he liked the book as I always court him reading it" Cas says as he looks out the window. Dean gives a half smile and looks at the window ledge and tried to shove the jealousy he was feeling down, he doesn't even know why he's jealous.  
"How long ago was it" Dean asks. Cas doesn't answer straight away as he fiddles with his shirt  
"Almost five months ago" Cas says. Deans eyes widen  
"Five months?" He says shocked  
"Yeah he was my partner actually...I see why they say you shouldn't date your co-workers...fucks it all up" Cas says. Dean stays open mouthed  
"But that means that-"  
"You were his replacement yes...that's why I had objections, I was childish and I'm sorry for that" Dean frowns  
"You haven't got anything to apologise for...well..." Cas looks over at him and Dean smiles with a shake of his head "I just didn't want to be someone that wasn't my brother, I can't stay with someone alone for that long without...being an asshole" Dean says. Cas keeps looking at him and Dean looks back with a small smile. Cas still has the red light on his face and down his neck, his hair is a mess yet again and now that he really looks there is stains on his lips where he'd bitten in so hard. Dean feels the urge to wipe it away somehow. Cas stifles a yawn and Dean smiles  
"Well now that we've bonded why don't we get some last hours of sleep before going on a vamp hunt" Dean says. Cas nods and gets off the counter. Dean stretches his cramped legs and they both get back to the bed  
"Good night Dean" Dean smiles  
"Night Cas"  
He feels a warmth spread through him and he doesn't know why or if he should be worried but right now he feels good and he can enjoy it...just this once.

He doesn't wake up because of a nightmare he wakes up because his alarm is blaring in his ears, it's unpleasant but better than his dreams. Cas is putting himself together. He lets the alarm run as he watches Cas who's putting on his slacks. His back is to him but damn is it a good, he watches the muscle ripple under his tan skin which had white scars across some areas but they don't seem like flaws. When Cas starts to put _on_ his shirt Dean can't help but blush, he doesn't know why it's so hot but as he watches the white fabric be pulled up by strong arms and his Muscles dance with the movement. Dean suddenly realises that he's about to drool and quickly turns off his alarm. Cas turns round as he buttons up his shirt and Dean watches his long fingers go up and up  
"Good morning" Cas says. Dean pulls his eyes away from the mans toned chest and looks up at his face  
"Huh?" Dean asks. Cas frowns but then his mouth twitches and he grabs a black tie.  
"I said good morning" Cas replies. Dean blushes and sits up wide awake. He doesn't know what happening and he's starting to freak out and either it's the black tie or their deep chat but cas is looking damn fine and Dean wants to go get hit by a car. 

They grab some breakfast and then head off towards the police station to find out a bit more.  
The town is pleasant but the gigantic mountains loomed over the town making it look tiny and insignificant as the low clouds cut off the peaks as snow went on and on. The sky was still a cold blue and the lights from houses and other places in town woke the place up.  
They walked up to the desk where a very tired women was sat flipping her pen in her hand. Dean coughed and she looked up at them. He noticed she was doodling on a notepad and had her heels off  
"How can I help you" she says as she looks them over with bored expressions and scoffed "jeez who are you guys, FBI?" She says with snort  
"Actually" Dean says and they take out their badges  
"We are" Cas finishes. She straightens up and drops her pen, looking like a deer in headlights. Dean smirks as she straightens out herself "we'd like to talk to the sheriff" Cas says without a hint of amusement at her panic.  
"Uh yes I'll show you" she says. She puts on her heels which looked too tall and pulled a strand of red hair behind her ear. She was attractive, curves, hight...boobs. But somehow Dean didn't find himself looking or even thinking of a silly pickup line.  
_yeah something is definitely wrong_  
She knocks on the door and a thin women opens it  
"There's two FBI agents here for you miss" the red head says  
"Thank you Kate you can head back now" she says with a smile. The girl practically ran off and they all watched her "did you show her a dead body or something?" The sherif asks with a smirk as she steps back to let them in. Dean smiles  
"Nah just told her we were FBI" he replies. She laughs and Cas closes the door  
"It early on Friday, can't blame her" the sheriff says and then put her hand out "sheriff Wilson" she shakes both their hands  
"I'm agent Winchester and this is my partner agent Novak"  
"Nice to meet you both please have a seat" she says as she walks around her desk. They take a seat and she puts her hands together on the desk "so how can I help"  
"We're wondering if you could tell us about some sightings on the outskirts of the town" Cas says.  
"Now those are animal sightings agent but I know a thing or two" she says with a smile "we've got our fair share of wild animals around here so we believe it's just and animal running through the woods"  
"But a hunter who lives near where the sightings were said he'd never seen anything run so fast" Cas says  
"And another said the thing looked like a human" Dean says, she hums and nods  
"Well I guess I can show you where this 'thing' was seen, you got a car?" She asks. Dean nods "ok follow and I'll take you" she grabs her hat,walky-talky and some other things that were on her belt and they headed out. 

They went further out until they were on a long small road with potholes and large flat fields on either sides as he Mountains stayed towering in front. There is a house at the end looking tiny compared to the harsh monstrosity behind. There's a light on as the sun may have just entered the sky it's still too dim.  
The jeep stopped as they drove into a wide space in front of the house. The house was wooden and a moderate size with an old look to it. They got out and she was waiting  
"This is the hunter you were talking about, names Ben and he's been living here his whole you know looked after his fathers land and all that so I'll just ask if he can take us round" she says and they nod. Wilson turned on her heel and headed towards the old door and they waited  
"You think they know we're coming?" Dean asks as he goes to the trunk and gets out a weapon. Cas joins him and grabs his own  
"Don't they always?" Cas says. Dean smiles and puts his gun in his belt  
"Great now we've got two citizens to look after" Dean grumbles as he scouts the open feilds  
"I have hope that the sheriff can handle herself and he's hunter so at least everyone knows how to shoot a gun" Cas says as he grabs a blade and shuts the trunk. Dean hums and locks up  
"Hope you're right" Dean says.  
A man in his early sixties stepped out with a shotgun in hand and in many layers of clothing  
"His backs gunna go when he fires that gun" Dean comments as he takes in the mans old body  
"Dean" Cas says with his scolding voice  
"What?" Dean asks. Cas looks over at him with a raised eyebrow. Dean sighs and looks back as the two approach them  
"Morning agents" the man says "I hear I've already been introduced" the mans voice is rough and almost sounds soar.  
"Good morning sir" Cas says politely. Dean nods at the man and he nods back  
"I'll lead the way then" Ben says as he hoists up his gun and walks towards a big gate which still had a frost glittering on the surfaces, the gate lead to a track into the trees behind the house.  
"So you know the area well" Cas says as the man opens the gate stiffly as the lock seemed to be frozen stiff, he managed though.  
"Yeah been discovering this place since I was in diapers, know it like the back of my hand" the man says as they walk up where the track goes up a small hill "which is why this 'animal' bugged me, not like anything I've seen before...or well tired to see, too fast for anything round here"  
"Don't get your hopes up boys, Ben over here is a paranoid bastard" she says with a smile  
"Yeah, yeah keep talking" Ben says with amusement  
"So everyone close in the town?" Dean asks. She shrugs  
"Most of us are close enough, the older generations more like" the sheriff says  
"Yeah the little ones keep to the their own groups" Ben says  
"Not so little my friend and at least they ain't messing around on your land" Wilson says. Ben laughs.

They walk for almost too long and Dean feels his toes starting to go numb from the cold eventually getting to them.  
"This was where I saw it last, or cought a glimpse of it last" Ben says "checking my land and I hear all the leaves sitting and a thing runs past in half second almost taking me off my feet" he says. Dean nods and on impulse,the both of them start to look in the area.  
"So this was a few weeks ago?" Cas asks. Ben nods  
"Yeah which is why I don't understand why how the FBI are looking, it's just an animal" Wilson says  
"We've found evidence that this could be a good place to start" Cas says as he kicks through the leafs, unsure about what he's actually looking for. She nods and the watch as the both of them search  
Dean walks over to cas and talks lowly into his "We won't find anything, we should check further out and see if they're out in a cave or something" Cas nods in reply and looks around the cold quiet scenery.  
"Tonight?" Cas asks back lowly. Dean nods and gives one more look and then heads back to the other two  
"We weren't expecting to find much anyway" Dean explain. They nod  
"We'll keep you informed, could I get a contact number?" The sheriff asks. Dean nods and grabs a card from his jacket. "Thanks for your help, both of you" Dean says and they nod with a smile.

On the way back Cas mentions how they'll be in the woods all night so he insisted that Dean wear something warmer. Which is how they ended up in one of those outdoor shops, Dean didn't want to wear anything Cas had so he was pushed into a store.  
"Why are you being so picky just choose one" Cas complains as Dean hold up to coats, a mossy green and a deep blue  
"Hey you force me into a shop I'll be as picky as I want" Dean says  
"I never said you had to it was just my stuff or you buy your own" Cas argues. Dean doesn't answer and he sees Cas wonder off further into the shop.  
Eventually Dean has a _blue_ coat, thicker socks and gloves that can grip a gun easily  
"I am never shopping with you again" Cas says as the lady puts Dean's stuff in a bag  
"No one forced you sweetheart" he teased and Cas had a face of disgust  
"Don't use my words against me _sweetheart_ " cas said back with a glare. Dean chuckled as thanked the women  
"Your a good couple by the way" she says. Dean looks at cas who looks back at him and they go quiet  
"Uh yeah we're...we're gunna go" Dean says and shoves Cas along who is happy to get out of the shop. They're blushing as they get back to the motel where they had to pay for another night. 

They got suited up with weapons and warm clothes, it was finally time to head out to the farm. He had a small concern that they would get lost but they had some serial bars as well as water so Incase they were lost they could wait till morning.  
The sun hadn't long fallen so the sky wasn't pitch black but lights were still needed and when they headed away from civilisation the lights were gone and it looked a whole lot darker. If the mountains weren't scary in the day the definitely were now, massive dark heaps above. They decided to park the car just off the main road that leads towards Ben's house which means they can sneak past the house and head deeper into the woods.  
"God I can't wait for summer" Dean complains as he pulls at his coat yet again  
"Has anyone told you that you sound like a five year old?" Cas asks. Dean glares but he rembers the countless times people have called him a five year old, sometimes they're right but not all the time  
"No actually" Dean lies. Cas doesn't answer as they carrry in walking up the dirt road which seemed a whole lot longer than it did hours ago. He can see the small squares of light from Ben's house from here as there's no trees at the front so the light stand out even more against the thick darkness of trees.  
They crouch as they go towards the gate with their guns at the ready and cas with a bag of equipment. Luckily they climb over quietly enough and they get out their flashlights. The trees and the small road are illuminated when the light is shone at them and the rest is pitch black. They stay quiet as they carry on up and the only sound being their careful footsteps and breathing. The track begins to narrow and eventually they're just on a narrow path, not knowing where they are going.  
"What exactly are we looking for?" Cas asks quietly  
"My guess is as good as yours" Dean says as a reply, leading the way. "Maybe they'll just find us anyway" Dean says  
"That's not the most reassuring thing you could say as we walk through a thick forest looking for vamps at midnight" Cas grumbles. Dean rolls his eyes but continues 'guiding' the way. 

Deans feet are begging to hurt, they've been walking for what seems like hours and Dean just wants to be comfortable again. It's pitch black and they haven't talked for a long time. Just when Dean was about to give up he noticed wood panels in his flashlights gaze. He started to move it around and noticed a cabin sat up ahead  
"Hey check it out" he says in a low voice. Castiel's light reaches his and he stand next to Dean  
"Doesn't look like it's been used in a while" Cas says. The cabin is old, vines climbed up the wood, windows smashed in and the roof was slowly flalling in.  
"Yup think they could be in there?" Dean asks  
"Lets find out" Cas says as he walks forwards.  
Cas watches where he puts his feet as goes up the weak steps. They turn off their lights and get out their guns. Cas tests the handle to the door and watches it open easily with a creak. It hits the wall and then they step in. It's dead silent as they check the two front rooms, everything in the rooms looks frozen in place, the pans in the cupboards, the cabinet of drinks, the very old TV and even the needle still down on the record. The cabin was never mentioned but he's not surprised, they're so far out it wouldn't of come up. They meet back at the door and nod, there's only three other rooms in this place and he's pretty sure the vamps aren't hiding in the shower. They grip their guns and slowly walk down a corridor towards the bedrooms. Dean signals right for Cas to check the first room and he carrys on down. Just as he reaches the handle there's a snarl and he's lept on from behind, he feels the breath of a vamp against the back of his neck and he reacts, he flings them at a wall backwards as the vamp yelps. Dean continues until he's landing and the vamp is falling off. He quickly grabs his blade and cuts the head off causing blood to splatter the wall and spray acrooss his clothes. Cas comes out of ten other room and looks over. They head straight for the other door and rush in. There's about four vamps at the ready and already running at them. Cas has already sent a vamp flying but then he's being attacked by another and Dean doesn't have much time to react either as a vamp is punching him in the gut but his many layers seem to deflect some of the pain but not completely, he readjusts and as the vamp flys at him he sends the blade right though him, the vamp whimpers and falls to the floor, not dead but good enough for now. Another vamp is on him and send him to the floor as he is punched continuously. He hears snarls and grunts and incoherent curses as cas is attacked too. His knees flys up right into the vamps balls which makes the vamp recoil enough that he can get the upper hand. He pushes the vamp back and and cuts off his head easily, the other vamp claws at him hit he's easily taken down. One of the other two vamps is dead but the last one standing is punching an Cas until he can't even defend himself. Dean runs up and slices through bone and muscle once again until he hears the body hit the floor with a loud thud.  
"Cas" Dean says. Cas groans, he's pretty beaten up of the blood that covers his broken face is anything to go by "come on" he grabs under the other agents armpits and his pained whine, he notices now that cas has a dislocated shoulder which he just pulled at. Dean flinches "sorry buddy" he gets on his knees and holds castiel's arm "ok on three...one, two-" he pushes up and through until he hears Cas cry out as his arm slots back in, luckily he could actually get to the bone through layers "all good, can you walk?" Dean asks. Cas nods his head weakly. Dean helps him up and flings one of Cas arms round his neck for support "so no ones here, no missing people?" Dean asks. Cas shakes his head  
"Empty...chairs they mu-" Cas coughs hard and then spits out blood weakly. Dean nods  
"Must've of seen us coming" Dean says "which means we should get out of here, there's more out there" he walks slightly faster as cas try's to get his legs to follow the speed.  
They walk down the steps slowly and then they walk further away from the cabin. He suddenly realises that he has no idea where he's going and he can't reach for his flashlight so they're waking into darkness "fuck" Dean says. He finds a big tree in a small clearing and slowly puts Cas down "ok are you hurt anywhere else?" Dean asks. With shaky hands Cas feels at his chest  
"One of my ribs is-" he coughs again and tilts his head so he can spit weakly onto the ground. Dean gets out his flashlights  
"Ok so broken rib, I'll just clear your face up a bit ok?" Cas nods and Dean starts to look through the bag for the first aid kit. He finds something to wipe away some of the blood so he can see if there's any deep cuts he'll need to close up. He flashes the light and castiel's face and cas frowns as he squints his eyes "sorry" he quickly starts to dab at his face and managed to get quite a lot of the blood off. He turns the light to the side so it's not directly in castiel's eyes. The other mans skin looks pale in the light, sweaty and bloody and there's quite a deep gash across his cheek and a cut in his lip. Blood is on his lips and it reminds Dean of the talk last night, he remembers yet again how Cas bit into his plush bottom lip that Dean had the urge to feel, feels against his own and he stops.  
"Dean" he blinks at notices that he's stopped cleaning Cas up and just staring. Cas has his eyes open slightly, enough to see and he's staring at him. Dean coughs and feels his cheeks heat up "sorry" he mumbles and gets back to work.  
Dean calls up one of the agents he knows is close and tells him of their situation. The women says she'll get there as fast as possible and just to stay out until then. He hangs up and looks back at cas who is holding the flashlight weakly on the floor. He reminds Cas to move his shoulders a few times and keeps him from being still for too long as Dean holds a machete in his hand, ready for an attack.

The lady called Catrina who was nearby eventually finds them with two other men who they direct to the cabin. Luckily they weren't attacked for the rest of the night and Catrina takes them out of the woods. Dean says he has a car and she takes them there telling them to stay safe. Cas looks like he's in a lot of pain, that much heavy breathing and all that coughing must of been painful. He's taking shallow breaths as they both silently drive back. 

He helps Cas get out of his layers which he doesn't mind at all. He insists on checking his chest in case there's any cuts and so on. It may not be necessary but Dean is telling himself that. He keeps Cas standing as he looks at the red bruisng to the skin. He then notices that cas has a lot of scars but some long ones, some look surgical and others not. He reminds himself that it's part of the job but he also remembers that cas was in a car accident and who knows how many could of been from that. He finally tells Cas it's all good and Cas gives him a look that Dean frowns at.  
"We all know that checking my bruises isn't strictly necessary" Cas says with a look Dean really can't decipher despite that it looks almost like the bedroom eyes. Dean coughs and tried to tell his body not to look like a tomato but he feels his cheeks heat and he's ducking his head "goodnight Dean" Cas says as he slowly goes past Dean very closely that his chest rubs past Dean's arm. Deans breath hitches and he quickly heads to the bathroom. 

_his eyes open slowly as he woke from his very pleasant sleep. The sky was just turning into day, clouds became visible with early hazy yellows and oranges as the blue being to fade. There's a hum and he notices that he's lying on someone's bare chest, it was warm and toned, he could hear their heart calmly beat against his ear and he looks up. It Cas and he's slowly blinking up at the ceiling  
"Mornin' sunshine" the words are familer on his tongue yet their not said sarcastically but as kind and it makes Cas smile. He instinctively rubs his hands up Cas' sides as he sits up. He kisses gently at his clavicle and up his neck to his pulse point. Cas hums pleasantly as he pushes his hands through Dean's short hair. Deans kissing everywhere but it's not lustrous just calm and sweet. He maps out the other mans skin down his torso and to his hipbones under the waist band of his pants._

Dean wakes up slowly still feeling bliss and he feels warm all over like Cas was just below him. Then Dean _really_ comes back from his dream. The bliss gone in less than a second and he sits right up and almost jumps out of bed. He looks over and notices Cas asleep as he's sat up with shallows breaths and a whizzy voice, but Dean can't think of that right now. He gets up and goes bright red despite it being only him conscious, the dream was cheesy and it was _Cas_ , he can't have dreams like that, why did he have dreams like that? It could only mean one thing but Dean doesn't even want to give the idea the light of day. He rushes to the bathroom and splashes his face with cold water. He leans over  
"Fuck" he says quietly "fuck" he says it a bit louder "fuck" he says again as he hits his head against the mirrored cabinet above the sink "fuck, fuck, fuck" he emphasises every fuck with the bash of his head against the cabinet. Suddenly he notices the figure leant a against the door frame and he jumps so hard the he nearly falls into the shower  
"Hello Dean" Cas says, his voice thick with sleep and weak but still low enough to send harsh shivers through him  
"Jesus you need a bell or something" Dean says as he leans gainst the sink. He sees Cas do that head tilt thing he always does and the word 'cute' comes to mind but he pushed that away as fast as possible.  
"So why are you cursing so early in the morning, our day hasn't even started yet" Cas says as he flinches slightly at his rib. Dean blushes hard at the thought as the half of the dream was right next to him  
"Nothin', how's your rib doing" Dean asks. Cas doesn't look pleased but doesn't say anything  
"Doing as well as it shood, still got the bruises incase you wanted to check again" Cas says with a smirk, yes an actual smirk. Is he trying to lure Dean into his bed or something? As if the comment didn't make him blush enough. Dean clears his throat and stands still  
"I see you're catching onto humour now" Dean says, trying to get off the main issue here. Cas does the little mouth twitch again  
"You're rubbing off on me Winchester" Cas says and with that cas slowly turns around and heads back to his bed.  
_wish I was running on you for different reasons_  
He mentally tells himself to shut the fuck in and With Castiel's back turned Dean lets out a massive breath as he pulls his eyes away from cas. He's freaking out and he's super embarrassed. Why is this all happening now? He wishes he could answer his own questions but he sadly can't. Usually with issues to do with feelings he'd go to Charlie because no way will he talk to Sam about his feelings because he's been keeping away from that for his whole life. But this is Cas, Charlie's been teasing him about him and cas at every opportunity she can get which means Cas has been there a couple of times to witness it, luckily she did it discreetly enough that cas wouldn't understand but with the mans new understanding of the groups humour, he fears Cas will catch on soon enough. 

"Just let me come, I've worked with worse than a broken rib" Cas complains for the hundredth time  
"Just one day, put your feet up and watch some TV and I'll tell you what happens" Dean argues as he grabs his keys. Cas had been going around wincing and coughing up everything he had inside of him so Dean told him to rest for a day or two as Dean carrys on. Obviously Cas wasn't ok with the idea and tired to get ready but due to him being weaker Dean got him into bed with quite a bit of touching that got Dean silently flustered.  
"I'll go get you some food as I pay for the room again ok?" Dean says. Cas crosses his arms and pouts "Cas, no wondering" Dean says. Cas glares at him and Dean rolls his eyes.  
The sun is out now and the days seem to slowly be getting warmer and it's more frost than snow on the ground. He goes over to the the guy at the desk and pays for another night and then he heads to a small cafe that Cas had gotten a nice bagel for breakfast yesterday and had enjoyed it a little too much Dean had thought. He gets back to find Cas sitting at the table with the folder open and papers all around  
"You won't find anything in there" Dean says. Cas hums  
"Better than watching day time TV" Cas says without looking up. Dean fiddles with the bag for a bit and then places it on some pictures of dead victims  
"Got you breakfast, you like that one with all that salad in so I got you that" Dean says. Cas looks up and peers into the bag  
"Thank you Dean" Cas says as he gets it out  
"No problem" it's quiet for a bit as he watches Cas carefully reveal the bagel "well I'm going to go ask Catrina if they found anything else and I'll keep in touch ok?" Dean says as he plays with the car keys now in his hands. Cas nods and sighs  
"Ok" Cas says with a voice of disappointment  
"It's just for a day Cas, you gotta hundred more to finish this case" Dean says. Cas hums as he takes a big bite of his breakfast, Dean rolls his eyes and heads to the door. 

Catrina had given him her number and she said to meet him just out of town at a small house he can't remember the name of.  
The house is old but with character, it's made out of white stone and the roof looked like it had seen better days. He used the door knocker of a lions head and it was second or two before the women answered. She was middle aged as far as he could tell, she had straight blonde hair which was slightly faded, she was thin and had pale blue eyes that were actually quite welcoming.  
"Hey Dean come in" she says with a smile and a thick southern accent. He steps in and watches her put the gun near the door. He raises an eyebrow "can't be too careful" she says with smirk. She beckons him towards the back of the house where a kitchen and a big wooden table lay "would you like a coffee or tea?" She asks  
"Yeah sure, thanks coffee please" he replies, he hasn't had his does of energy yet. She nods  
"How'd you like it?" She asks  
"Black please" she nods  
"Make yourself comfortable" she says. He smiles and leans against the half island opposite the counters "so where's your partner, he doing ok?" She asks  
"he's got a broken rib so I told him to take a break, he wasn't happy but he eventually gave in" he says. She nods with a smile  
"You two close?" She asks. Memories flood back from his dream and tries not to blush but he feels his cheeks burn. He hears a chuckle and his eyes shoot up "oh your that close, I see" she says with smirk. Dean blushes harder and stands up  
"We're not like that..." he clears his throat and she laughs a little harder  
"Ok whatever I ain't judging" she says. Dean avoids eye contact and then there's a mug being put in his hands "so anyway about the missing people" she says as she poured her own cup  
"Yeah you find them out there?'' Dean asks as he lets his coffee cool. She sighs and put the coffee mug down  
"There's a lot of wood and there was three of us, I mean they might not even be in there anymore, could've left town by now" she says. Dean nods and sips his coffee "so I called in and the boss says some other agents will come up and help but for now we should look for as much as possible and burn those bodies" she says "my brothers are doing that so all we need to do is maybe check out the town and see if anyone saw anything last night" she says. Dean nods  
"Yeah good idea"  
Catrina needed to get ready as in out on her jeans and into a suit so Dean finished his coffee as he waits. She comes down in a suit with a white shirt, back jacket with slightly flared bottoms and her hair up in a bun.  
"We can take your car" she says. It was weird having another agent instead of Castiel sitting next to him, he notices then how long him and cas have been going round for and maybe it wasn't years but it felt long enough, how much they had changed since the beginning.  
First they went to Ben who told them he hadn't seen or heard anything as far a he knew so they went half way through the he town, each time a hunch on which place to ask. It was getting late now and they both were getting bored.  
"I think she we should leave this till morning again" she says answer she takes the pins out of her hair to let it loose. Dean nods  
"Yeah I guess" Dean nods. He drops here off at her temporary home that she said was a house that Garth had kept under a name for agents to stay in. 

He heads back to find the motel empty and dark. He turns the light on and panics. All of the papers are still spread across the table and everything else the same. He turns around and is about to run to his car when he bumps right into someone. He's about to apologise until he notices that it's Cas who is bent over in pain now  
"Shit Cas" Dean says with a sigh of relief and worry as he notices Cas must be in a lot of pain right now. He put a hand on his shoulder and guided cas inside. "What were you doing out?" he says as he closes the door behind them and still holding onto Cas tightly. He looks back at he falls straight into cas' gaze, his big baby blue eyes stare up at him with the innocence of a child and Dean doesn't know what to say  
"I was hungry" somehow a grown man with a voice like gravel and honey managed to express how innocent and cute he is. He looks back and just stares down at the slightly shorter man who is clutching a paper bag between his hands.  
"come on" Dean says and guides Cas to a chair.  
"I got you some too, Incase you didn't eat" Cas says as he fiddles with the bag and presents two Mc Donald's burgers wrapped up and then some fries. Dean can't even be angry right now and he gives a defeated look as he sits down opposite  
"You shouldn't do that" Dean says as cas put some his food in front of him  
"Your not my mom, I don't need to text you whenever I leave" Cas says as he lays the wrapper out neatly under his very large burger. Dean sighs  
"It's not like that it's just...something could of happend" Dean doesn't exaggerate and just bites into his admittedly nice burger as cas does the same  
"I don't know why you care anyway, you hate me after all" Cas says as he fiddles with a fry. Dean frowns as he swallows another bite of burger  
"I don't hate you..." Dean says quietly. He watches as cas tucks into his burger and continues to ignore the fuzzy feeling he has as he watches the man who chops off evil things heads for a living act all cute  
_god what is happening to me_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Deans getting the feels! They've bonded and everything so it's moving a long. I also might change the name of this fic soon as it was never permanent as I couldn't think of anything better so yeah. Anyway I hope you liked it and sorry for any mistakes! :)


	10. Chapter ten

Dean gets a call from the sheriff telling him about a noise complaint she found suspicious so she said they could go and check it out. Cas was exited to be out of the crummy motel but he still had to be careful and take shallow breaths. It also meant getting changed took a bit longer and Dean tried not to stare so much. The sun was up, not high but it was rising, the cold still attacked his skin when they headed to the car and snow sparkled in the new light. Dean got the snow and ice off the car and then they headed off towards the address given.   
Dean slowly parks on the empty road and gets out, the door giving its usual squeak. They looked around the neat rows of houses and they peer at each other.   
"Where should we be looking exactly" Cas says as he shoves his hands into his coat pockets. Dean shrugs and walks further down towards where the lady who reported if lived. He looked at the opposite side and court sight of a house for sale, all windows boarded up.  
"Check it out" Dean says as he faces the house. Cas comes to stand next to him and looks at the house "seems a good place to start, don't what to go breaking into houses with machetes as they sit for breakfast" Dean says. Cas hums and they go back to the car for weapons.   
They each take a side of the house and decided to head round the back to have some element of surprise. Dean was worried Cas would hurt himself trying to get over the wall but he pushed those thoughts down and climbed over the fence, watchful of the slippery surface.   
When he gets round he finds Cas bent over in pain as he holds himself.  
"Cas" Dean says, forgetting to stop the concern in his voice. He rushes over and places a hand on his shoulder.  
"I'm fine, I just jabbed it on the wall" Cas says as he slowly gets back to normal hight.  
"You sure" Dean says and forgets to take his hand off Cas' shoulder. Cas nods and shakes Dean's hand off. Cas walks up the steps, blade already out. Dean feels the flush ride up his neck, he clears his throat and follows onto the decking. Cas fiddles with the door and Dean goes to pick the lock.   
Deans barely a full ten steps in before a vamp has jumped in him and wrestling him to the ground, he easily drops the vamp to the floor and Cas finishes him with a few hacks which was quite disgusting, more so than usual due to Cas being weaker. Dean gave a concerning look but hears the creak of the floor boards as other vamps are alerted. Dean rushes to the door as a vamp barrels down the corridor.   
Once up the stairs they ran to check the rooms as the last remaining Vamps lay unconcious or dead across the floor. Dean found the missing people tied up to chairs. One women was pulling at the ropes fastened tightly on her wrists, the other two were unconscious. Dean rushes to the struggling women and Cas goes to check the others.   
"Hey there" Dean says calmly, he lift her head up and pulls away all the stray coils of brown hair "it's ok we're here to help" Dean says. He looks over at Cas who's trying to wake up a too thin man who's skin is turning blue and his lips faded. Dean swallows but carrys on helping the women "you hurt?" Deans asks. She coughs but shakes her head "ok keep talking to me, what's your name?" Dean asks and try's to distract her as Cas silently moves on from the dead man to the women next to him.   
"Carmen" she says through a raspy voice. Dean nods and cuts through the ropes.

He carrys Carmen out of the house and weary of the ice, he rushes to the car. He puts her in carefully as possible and then rushes back to help Cas get the other. Cas is already down the steps with the girl in his arms and with a quick nod Dean starts to wipe out the nest completely.   
As they rush to the hospital Cas is on the phone to Bobby as Dean explains what she'll say to the hospital. Carmen tells them about what she heard them talking about, some place in North Dakota where some other vamps must be. Dean makes a mental note to ask Bobby and then they park in front of the hospital. They help them up the snowy steps and rush the two women in. They're instantly rushed away, Carmen giving one last worried look back at them before being rushed further into the hospital.   
They head back to the motel and get them selves cleaned up before leaving the motel to go get some food. Bobby had called talking about how there were sightings reported threw the past few months in a place called Hoople in North Dakota, some small town that no one knows about. Dean was more annoyed about the weather the further they go up.

****************

"I can already feel the cold" Dean grumbles. Cas hums as he writes out some of the report "freakin' North Dakota" Dean says as travels down interstate 90 as his music plays silently in the background. Dean glares at the road ahead. It's warm in the car as they've been on the road for a couple of hours but there's snow on the sides of the roads with dirt from the cars changing the coulour to browns and blacks. The sun is falling quickly casting the sky in oranges and light indigoes lightly dusted the clouds.  
"How's the report doing?" Dean asks. Cas looks further up on his report again.  
"It's going alright but it is boring" Cas says as he flips his own his hand   
"Thought you'd be into all that crap" Dean says with a smirk. Cas looks over at and Dean glances back  
"No one likes writing out reports Dean, just because I like to read doesn't mean I find this fun" Cas says. Dean chuckles and gives one last look into those dreamy eyes before looking back at the road. They don't talk much from then on but it's not awkward and Dean actually likes it which yet again is concerning.

Hoople is a very small town, the sort where everyone knows everyone and the only crime would be petty shop lifting or kids getting bored. It also meant they had no motel to stay in and being too tired to go back to another bigger town they decided to crash in Dean's car.   
It was darker and much colder now so Dean got two blankets out and gave one to Cas.   
Cas takes his jacket and tie off so he can move around and then his shoes.   
"Fuck" Cas grumbles as he falls onto the the back seat and his long legs try to find their spot. Dean chuckled as he leaned against the passenger door. Cas is lying the opposite way and wrapped himself up like a burrito in his blanket   
"Dude you look like a burrito" Dean says with a laugh. In the darkness he sees Cas pout and Dean bursts out laughing at his face with the blanket up to his chin.  
"It's cold...and this is comfy" Cas says with a pout. Dean laughs and looks over with a smile   
"You still look like a burrito" Dean says with a smirk. Cas huffs and leans back against the window as a pale blue light cast down onto his face and his eyes lighting up. He can't help but look, the column of his neck and the pout of his lips makes Dean want to bash his skull in, he licks his own lips as he stares at those chapped lips washed in white from the moon. The only word Dean could think of was angelic.   
"You're staring again" Cas says suddenly. Dean feels all the heat reach his cheeks and he almosts jumps out of his own skin.   
"What?" Dean says in a very high pitched voice. He clears his throat "what?" He says again. Cas props his head back up again and stares over at Dean.  
"You're really not that subtle" Cas says with an amused tone. Dean bites his lips and tried to think of something sarcastic to say but no words are coming out. He notices Cas has copied his action and is biting his own lip and it seems his gaze is focused right on Deans lips. His heart is hammering for several different reasons and he's thankful he's got the cover of darkness or Cas would see him looking like a tomato.  
"Night" Dean squeaks and slide down and faces away from the back of the car.   
"Good night Dean" Cas says and Dean falls asleep to thoughts of that gravely voice. 

_They're in the same place and the sky is the same but instead both of them are sat on the hood. Dean is sat between Cas' legs as he's held. He can feel the steady heartbeat of the warm chest behind him. He can hear his calming yet low voice in his ear as he talks about all the stars in the sky passionately like he knows each one personally. It's warm night and not a cloud in sight so the stars coat the sky. Cas maps them out with his finger and Dean feels content just to hear to the voice and just when he's about to drift off he feels nips and kisses, Cas makes his way down to the hinge of his jaw and then back behind his ear._

Dean slowly comes back form his dream and once again realises what the hell he was dreaming about and it was even cheesier than last time.  
 _why am I always the little spoon_  
He thinks about it for a second and then really freaks out. He gets on his shoes, then his jacket and grabs his phone. Fuck his pride he needs to call Charlie.   
The phone rings a few times and he taps his foot as he remembers how cold it really is and starts to pace amongst the snow.  
"Ugh Dean what?" A tired voice comes from the other end and he lets out a sigh.  
"I really need to talk to you" Dean demands as he looks back at the car to check Cas was still sound asleep.  
"Can't it wait till six rather than four in the freakin' morning" Charlie groans   
"I think I've a got a crush on Cas" Dean says quickly. There's a pause and then some moving around.  
"Ok I'm up" Charlie says fast. Dean bounces his leg on the spot and looks back at the car   
"Well...I think it's a crush" Dean says.   
"Ok tell me _everything_ " she says. Dean takes a breath and nods.  
"So I just...look at him and I don't know he's just so...handsome-no I don't know and I worry when he gets hurts and I'm buying him breakfast then there's the dreams-"  
"Dreams?" Charlie butts in and sounding like she's only just holding back from screaming   
"Yes...dreams" Dean says. She squeals and then bursts into laughter "but there not _those_ sort of dreams...worse actually they're really cheesy and I mean _really_ " Dean explains. She snorts and Dean rolls his eyes   
"What like marriage cheesy" she teases   
"What no?" Dean says blushing like a virgin at the thought of that.   
"What watching the stars of some crap?" She says with a snort.  
Dean doesn't answer and Charlie picks up on the silence. He even has to pull the phone away slightly as she bursts into a fit of laughter.   
"You had a dream about watching the stars with agent Novak?" She asks through pants of air. Dean groans and runs a hand down his face.  
"Yes ok and I liked it and I don't like that I liked it so help me" Dean says and gets faster by every word with his voice going to a harsh whisper. Charlie laughs again and Dean glares "Charlie!" He says in a loud whisper.  
"Ok I don't know how I'm supposed to help, you two look pretty good together anyway" Charlie says.   
"Chalrlieee" he whines. She sighs on the other side   
"Well stop looking at him is probably a good idea, as much as possible anyway" Charlie says. Dean sighs  
"Well it's a start...you're going to keep this to your self right?" Deans asks sceptically.  
"I'll try but it doesn't mean I won't stop teasing you about it" Charlie says with amusement in her voice. Dean rolls his eyes. "Can I go back to sleep now?" Dean chuckles and nods.  
"Yeah night Charlie"   
"Night" she replies and then hangs up.   
Dean rushes back to the car for warmth and cherishes the last couple of hour he has before needing to wake up. He can't sleep however and now that he really notices it the seat is uncomfortable and his legs are cramping. Instead he sits up and looks through the case once more.   
As he hums Metallica Dean hears a groan and some moving, then a thump. He looks behind him and then Cas climbs back up and their faces are very close. Cas doesn't seem to notice or care and is getting the sleep out of his eyes.  
"Mornin' sunshine" Dean says to cover up the sudden urge to kiss the man. He can feel the flush rising up and he's about move back when Cas opens his eyes properly and they look just as bright. The early morning sky doesn't dull them and the blues still sparkle and now up close he sees the specks of white where the blue is so bright and the dark clear blues that all melt and turn to black in the centre.  
"Why do you always say that?" Cas asks. Waking Dean from his trance.  
"Huh?" Dean asks. Cas rolls his eyes and rests his cheek against the front seat which makes his cheek expand against the surface   
_why is he so goddamn cute_   
"I said, why do you always say that" Cas repeats  
"Repeat what?" Dean asks, still confused.  
"Morning sunshine you dumbass" Cas says. Dean raises an eyebrow and nods.  
"Don't get cocky with me and it's just a thing" Dean says with a shrug. Cas nods and then sits up to stretch "and did you fall off or something?" Dean asks.  
"Half of me yes" Cas says as clicks his neck which shows the lines of his throat and by far the hottest thing Dean has seen. Dean chuckles and tries to hide his blush behind case photos. 

Dean bounces on the heels of his feet on the decking as he looks out onto the the drive, they had headed to where the rangers work and remembered that it was too early so they had to wait outside. Cas clicked his neck for the thousandth time and Dean glares over at him.  
"Dude quit with the neck clicking" Dean says. Cas glares back and rubs his neck.  
"Sleeping in that car got my neck all cramped up" Cas argued back.  
"Cracking it every minute isn't going to help" Dean says as he shoves his hands deep it into the long soft coat he was in, Cas had the same.   
"Oh and you know that" Cas says with the roll of his eyes.  
"Yeah I do actually" Dean doesn't actually know if it's true or not and Cas doesn't seem to be believing it either which Dean finds insulting, but before either one of them can say another word a jeep rolls up through the snowy tracks. They both turn towards the car and wait for someone to step out. They watch as the man jumps out of the car and slams the door. He looks over with a frown and then walks over, he's in the ranger outfit with a long warm looking coat and a hat on his head.  
"How can I help you?" The man asks in a deep voice. They get their badges out in unison   
"I'm agent Winchester and this is my partner agent Novak" Dean says. The man raises both eyebrows as he pauses at the steps.   
"FBI...here?" He says with a dumbfounded expression. He had deep brown eyes with chocolate brown hair and pale skin and he has a sharp jaw line.  
"Yes" Cas says. The ranger looks over at Cas and nods.  
"Ok, I'll open up" he says. Dean moves out the way and lets the man get through. The ranger steps in and turns on the lights as the agents step in after him.  
"My names Jason and what do I owe this pleasure?" He asks as he takes off his coat, gloves and hat.  
"There has been some sightings in the area" Dean says. The man chuckles as he turns on some heat.   
"This is a small town with a lot of land around, it was probably an animal sir" he says with a smile.  
"We're given reason to believe otherwise sir" Cas says as he looks around. The ranger hums in agreement and gets out a folder.  
"The most recent report was from a women walking down a path near the river, saw something running through the bushes and freaked out" he said with a shake of his head "seems ridiculous I have to say" the ranger says. He pushes over the report and Dean looks over it.   
"So where were these sightings" Dean asks.  
"On the outskirts, dog walkers and land owners have seen these in the early hours when it's still dark" he says.  
"Anywhere specific" Cas asks.   
"Yes in the west, these fields here" the ranger point at a map with large fields and the occasional house. They nod.  
"Thank you for your time, if you hear anything then call us" Cas says and places a card with his number onto the desk. The ranger picks it up and nods. 

Dean looks out at the fields with a heavy sigh, they don't know where they should be looking but the farms are probably a good place to start. The first house they go to there's a family having breakfast so they sneak round to check the barn and other buildings. The second is much the same, a married couple getting up for the day. Dean feels wrong for snooping around such a private place.   
As Cas checks the barn Dean looks into the the empty house, he hopes this is the right one as his toes are cold and his throat is dry and saw which is bullshit because Dean has killed the biggest demons out there and yet he still gets colds. He sniffs and then heads to the door.   
The house is large and cold like someone hasn't been here for a long time, dust is over lamps and food gone off in the cupboards. But there's no one here, he sighs and heads out to the barn.  
He heads in and looks round for Cas, the birds sing in the distance and the place stinks of animals which Dean doesn't like.  
"Cas" he says, nothing. Dean frowns and starts to look in places Cas could be. Worry rises in his gut "Cas" he says louder than the last time. Dean swallows and heads out to the muddy frozen track again. He gets out his phone and calls Cas, silence. The phone goes to voicemail and Dean starts to look around frantically. 

Dean rubs at his thighs to gain some sort of heat, he'd been roaming the fields around the house for probably hours, every noise made his head snap to the sound and he swore he felt his phone vibrate but it was nothing. He took one last look at the field near the barn, his footprints were small tracks in the snow. It was warmer than usal for February that's a perk but he can't think about the weather right now. Cas has gone and he needs to get him back.  
He spent the rest of the day trying to find something that will lead him to Cas, he asked around and went back to the ranger who tried to help as much as he could. But no luck.   
Dean fiddled with the neck of the beer bottle as he looked around the bar, it was late and people who were slowly leaving the bar as he hours went on. Dean went through a couple of beers before heading back out. It was still very cold, especially when the sun had gone from the sky which was Clouding over if the disappearance of the moon is anything to go by, it will snow again.   
He parked where they did last time and decided to sleep in the in back instead since Cas wasn't here, it was more comfortable than front but he still was cramped up. Thoughts rushed through his mind about what could be happening to Cas right now but he eventually drifted off.

 

_Dean walks leisurely down the corridor, his knife held in his hand. He's looking for someone but he doesn't know who, his thoughts are saying he'll know once they're in front of him. He sees a shadow rush down another corridor and he pauses. Turning one shoulder he looks at the closed door and smirks. He grips the blade and begins to walk towards the door. He starts to laugh but it's foreign to his own ears. He kicks to door open until or falls off its hinges and he walks into the room. He notices the panicked figure who's stuck in a corner, it's Cas. His hair is as ruffled as ever and his eyes just as bright. Dean walks over.  
"Dean you don't have to do this" Cas says panicked and raises his hands in self defence. Dean smirks and pulls Cas by his jacket until there noses are brushing, he stares into those bright blue eyes as his blade meets skin. He watches as Cas gasps with the faint whisper of something he can't hear. He watches the life fade from his eyes as he stares up at Dean. He watches the dark eyelashes that framed his eyes beautifully slowly close with a flutter as if he was still trying to fight for life. Cas slumps against him and Dean drops him to the floor. He watches the blood drip form the blade, Cas' blood. He feels the pleasure travel through his veins once again, he feels dazed and he smiles at the feeling as his heart beats erratically in his chest._

Dean sits up fast his eyes snap open and his breaths are coming out frantically. He slowly comes back and lets out a long sigh, he sits back against the door and pulls his hands down his face. He's calming down but he can still see the light in Cas' eyes dim and the feel of the blade breaking skin. He looks at his shaking hands and at the rest of himself, his shirt is stuck to his skin but no blood...none of Cas' blood.   
Getting into something more comfortable and clean he gets out and feels like he might let off steam form the harsh contrast from his hot skin to the cold winter air. His breath comes out in puffs as he hears the distant sound of cars on the main roads and the sound of birds. He checks his phone again in case Cas might of called. Obviously there's no missed calls but he does ring up Bobby to tell him what happened. 

He sits in the same diner as last time, he orders blueberry pancakes and some coffee. It's strangely quiet, he has worked on his own in between Sam and Cas but it feels like years ago and he misses Sam's salads and Cas' bright blue eyes boring into his own. Dean lets out a sigh and pours maple syrup onto the pancakes, he needs to man up and keep his emotions bottled up, he's no teenage girl.   
Just as he's about to get up a women comes over, the waitress from yesterday actually. Dean looks up at her and she fiddles with a her notebook.  
"Can I help you?" He asks, she tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and looks at his face.  
"You're that agent looking for his partner right?" She asks shyly. Dean straightens up and nods.  
"Yes that's me, do you know something?" He asks, not bothering to mask the hope in his voice.   
"Uh yeah I think I do" she hesitates and then sits opposite "I was taking a walk before work and I saw some black van and I swear they put a guy in the back but I thought I was seeing things so I just went back and didn't think about it until a friend told me about you" she explains with a look of shame "I'm sorry I should of come to find you earlier or told the cops" she said with a blush. Dean lets out a sigh.  
"No it's fine, you know where it went?" Dean asks.   
"I heard the engine, the van had a squeaking noise and it headed off towards the highway I think, it's the only route really" she says. Dean bites his lip with angst, they could of gone anywhere. But it is something.  
"Thank you and if you remember anything then call this number" Dean says and slides a card across, he leaves a tip and rushes out of the diner with a glint of hope in his chest.   
The sky was clouding over and once again the air felt icy against his skin, more snow. Dean had asked around and found out some people had heard a van going past in the early hours. lukily Charlie tought him how to hack traffic cameras so eventually he tracks it down to Grand Forks in some house. Dean drives as the snow starts to fall heavier. It's two in the afternoon but the clouds and snow have darkened the sky even more that he's not sure what time it really is. He speeds as much as possible and makes it into the the town unharmed. 

It takes a while but he eventually finds the house that hopefully has an alive Cas inside. He stops a few houses down and then walks towards the house. He checks around, careful of windows and lights as he goes. The snow is melting on his hands and he starts to shiver but he can't stop that. Dean swallows and peaks through a window, inside is a living room where a group of people sat drinking and laughing but they didn't seem to match the surroundings from the fat lumber jack looking guy to the women with a very small mini skirt. This is a good as any reason to think they're vamps so he heads to the back door where the kitchen is. He picks the lock and slowly walks in, he hears them laughing and talking. He checks the archway to the living room and the slowly makes his way to the basement door. This isn't a very private area like barn in the middle of no where so chances are that he's in the basement. He cringes when the door squeaks but the talking continues so he steps in. It's dark and he almost falls down the steps as he makes his way down, he doesn't turn the light on in case so he gets out his flash light.  
And there he is   
Dean lets out a loud sigh as he flashes the light over the familiar shape of Cas. After though he starts to panic at the unmoving body tied to a chair. He sees the scrapes and scratches across his face and the deeps bite marks in his neck. He rushes over and tilts his head up which is heavy in his hand. His hair has dried blood in it and he has a cut through his lip.  
"Cas" he whispers hopefully its loud enough for Cas. He doesn't move though. Suddnely he hears the door open and on instinct he rubs to a far corner behind an old dresser, he might as well try and surprise them even if they can hear his heart beat. The light turns on and he flattens against the wall a bit more. He sees Cas be smacked harshly a couple of times and a blade is carved into his chest after his shirt being unbuttoned. Cas whimpers as the blade brings him back to consciousness, Dean is glad Cas is alive.   
"Heya sweetheart" the women who had skirt on said. Cas didn't answer but grit his teeth to contain a pained moan form the blade digging into him. "That's right don't want the neighbours to hear you" she says with a wink. She digs in a bit further but takes it back out with blood dripping now which reminds Dean of his dream causing shivers rush down his spine. She sighs and flips the knife in hands "God I can't hear myself think over your heart beat" she says angrily and spins round to Dean. He jumps and notices that his heart was beating hard, he doesn't know why but it was and it had gotten him caught. He stepped further out of the shadows. Cas let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped as he looked up at Dean.   
"Dean-"   
"Enough" she interupts with the roll of her eyes "you can have your reunion later love birds" she says with a smirk "oh yeah and Dean...heads up" she says with a smile. He frowns and then all of a sudden it's black.

 

When he wakes up he hears a roar of laughter which jolts him further into consciousness. His head feels fuzzy and his sight is blurry. He hears someone calling his name but he can't reply as his ears ring. He smacked hard in the face and he looks up as a blurry figure begins to come into detail. The first thing he notices are yellow crooked teeth and a dirty black beard. He groans and tilts his head away. There's a chuckle and his chin is pulled back so he's facing the foul looking man in front. Eventually it all comes back to him and he remembers that he'd been hit around the head as he was trying to save Cas.   
"Glad you can join us Dean, we were just talking about Castiel's little buddy who he let die all those months ago" the women from before said. The other people seemed to have come down too and were laughing along. Dean catches on to what she was saying and realised it was probably about that Baltherzar guy that made Dean cruelly jealous.   
"But don't worry we'll get to you after, you have a whole history of issues we'd like to tease you about" she says which makes the others laugh. Dean rolls his eyes and pulls at his restraints.   
"Think you can take a little more of this Castiel?" She asks teasingly. Cas glares but Dean can see how Cas swallows thickly and keeping his head up (literally) seemed to be a challenge.   
"I mean it's not like he loved you anyway, don't know what's getting you all emotional" she says with a smile.  
"You don't know anything" Cas retorts. She smirks   
"Oh I do sweetheart, we've got people of all kinds, finding about your lovers was the easy part actually" she says "your uncle though...he coverd up that scandal very well" she says. Whatever she just said seems to hold more pain than Dean thought, she'd said it so off handedly but Cas visibly flinched and close him self off with one last weak glare. They laugh harder and Dean doesn't like how uncomfortable Cas is.   
"lets skip the for-play, kill us already" Dean says. Her smile is sarcastically sweet and Dean gives her one back "fine, sadly we can't kill you but we can have some fun, you boys got a lot of blood on your hands and specifically vamp blood" she says.   
"Yeah because you didn't deserve it" Dean says with a glare   
"That's not the point" she says with a glare. Dean snorts and lets out a chuckle   
"You talk to much, Daniel...get something to shut him up" she says. Whoever the guy was he nods and heads back up stairs. She starts to swing the knife and circles them with a smile. She skims the tip of the blade across his cheek bone and then lightly over his lip. She hums but then slowly starts to cut through his skin on his cheek. It stings but he's felt worse. She slowly starts to cut down his neck and just when she's about to lick the blood that trickles down his neck there's a thud. She stops and Dean thanks the gods he didn't have to experience that. She stands up and looks back at the other two men, one from when he woke up and one who looked in his early forties.  
"Go check" she says and points the knife at the man from before who has a thick black beard. He nods and heads up the stares. She turns back around with a smile and just when the blade meets his skin the door flys off its hinges and the man with the beard flys down the stairs with a harsh knock on the stone floor. She huffs and cautiously steps round the man and beckons the other. Both vamps go up and the agents see this as the opportunity to break free. Dean breaks free first amd then cuts through the rope on Cas. Instantly Cas rubs at his red raw marks.  
"You alright?' Dean asks as he gazes at those familiar blue eyes he'd missed more than he'd originally thought. Cas nods and slowly gets up from his chair "can you walk?" Dean asks as he takes in Cas' weak posture.  
"If you move we could find out" Cas says and looks up at Dean with a smirk. Dean clears his throat and steps back with a light flush. Cas gets the blood flowing back into his legs and slowly walks around. Eventually they make their way up the stairs and notice the headless (and armless and legless...) bodys strewn across the floor in separate parts. Dean cringes at the sight and Cas doesn't look to pleased with it either. They hear footsteps and he's about to reach for his weapon but they've been taken away. A man come round in a fancy well fitted suit (like Cas' but possibly more expansive) and a combed back hair. He gave them a smirk and fiddled with his tie as if that's the only thing affected by killing a load of Vamps.   
"Who the heck are you?" Dean asks, the man smirks once again.   
"Names Arthur Ketch, lovely to meet you both"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took longer than expected but I hope you liked it! :)


	11. Chapter eleven

"Arthur what?" Dean asks with a frown. Arthur continues to stay calm as he looks at them.  
"Yes, Arthur Ketch" the man repeats.  
"Is that supposed to mean something?" Dean asks again.  
"No, uts not surprising" Arthur says with a condescending look.  
"So did you do all of this?" Cas asks as he rubs at his neck. The man chuckles and looks around.  
"No I'd never create a mess like this, I sent someone for me" He says. Cas rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything.  
"So why are you here" Dean asks.  
"Your boss should of told you, since you Americans can't deal with a few vamps we were called in" he says "we're the British men of letters" he says. Dean frowns in confusion.  
"Men of what?" He asks. Arthur sighs and looks skyward.  
"What With all these questions, you'll find out eventually" he says "but for now I'll be off, see you around" Arthur says and with that he heads for the door.  
"What the hell" Dean mumbles as they stood in silence "I'm gunna call Bobby" Dean says. Cas nods and starts to look around slowly. Bobby answers after a few rings with a gruff hello.  
"Is it true we've got some British jerks on the case now" Dean says. Bobby sighs  
"Yes its true, someone higher up thought we needed help" Bobby says with agitation.  
"That's bullshit, we're doing fine" Dean says angrily  
"I know that but if my boss doesn't think that then neither can I" Bobby says angrily  
"So you can't do anything" Dean says  
"No, got some women prancing around in some fancy suit ordering my agents around" Bobby says angrily.  
"Yeah I just met some asshole" Dean says.  
"Yes I understand I like this as much as you but I'm not in contol, we just need to work with this" Bobby says. Dean nods  
"Yeah ok Bobby, I got Cas back but there's no one else here so either there is no one being held up here or they're somewhere else" Dean says.  
"Where are you" Bobby asks  
"Grand forks, North Dakota" Dean says. Bobby hums and then replies  
"Sounds like they've already taken the victims, probably know you two are in town just get cleaned up and you can head back to Kansas, I've got some other people heading off for some cases and I'll get a guy called for the clean up" Bobby says  
"Ok thanks Bobby" Dean hangs up the phone and heads off to find Cas.  
Dean finds him looking at photos on the mantle above the fire.  
"A family live here" Cas says as he traces the faces of a mother, father and two children.  
"Should probably hurry up and get out then" Dean jokes. Of course Dean is staring at Cas intently and he sees the hint of sadness in his eyes. He remembers that Cas never got to have a family that long. It makes Dean sad, family has always been a big apart of Dean's life whether it was by blood or not, he had one. Slowly he places a hand on Cas' shoulder, Cas looks up at him with his eyes shining over. Cas seems to notice that Deans picked up on it and instantly blinks away the emotion until he's back to his normal posture and expression. Cas doesn't shake Dean's hand off though, he just stares back at him. Dean can feel the warm of Cas' skin through his bloody shirt.  
"Come on lets go, someone's already on their way to get these bodies" Dean grips Cas' shoulder lightly and Cas nods.  
They head out and instantly Cas flinches from the cold, Dean remembers that his shirt is unbuttoned and he must be dying of the cold. Quickly Dean takes off his jacket and puts it over Cas' shoulders. Cas frowns up at him but Dean just shrugs.  
"You must be freezing" Dean explains over the howl of the wind. Cas nods and snuggles into the jacket that's a bit too big for him, making him look smaller with his bruises and cuts. Dean guides Cas threw the snow by the small of his back, Dean tells himself it's to help Cas but it's more than that.  
They rush through the snow and make it to Dean's car, practically leaping into it. Dean lets out a sigh as he rubs his hands together. Cas is pulling the jacket in closer on himself. Quickly Dean turns the car on and gets the heating on. 

Cas managed to get reception so they were able to find a motel. Dean gets them some food from Mc Donald's and then heads off to the motel. It's much darker now, not like he could tell through the the rush of snow though.  
Dean slams the door behind him and sighs as he feels the warmth of the motel melt the snow on his clothes, he drops his bag on the bed and feels the blood start to rush through his numb fingers and toes. He rubs at his arms from the cold and watches as Cas slowly takes off Dean's jacket to reveal his cut up body and shirt. He sees the blue of Cas' fingers and notices his own slight tremor.  
"I kept that electric heater from Fort Collins but it's in the car" Dean says. Cas nods  
"It's fine" Cas says as he rummages through his bag, probably to find some first aid.  
"Let me help" Dean says. Cas shakes his head  
"No it's fine, I can do it" he says. Dean doesn't know why but he wants to, not just to help Cas but for himself. He feels the selfish feeling of wanting to feel close to Cas, it's taking advantage really but he didn't notice until now how fond he really is of Cas.  
"It's the least I could do" Dean replies. Cas looks over at him, his eyes show the clear conflict he's having in his mind, the the blue orbs dance around. It's crazy how Cas shows all that he feels through his eyes, Dean could stare for hours but that thought sounds cheesy so Dean quickly squashes it.  
"Ok" Cas says finally. Dean can't help but smile and Cas does the small twitch of his lips again. Dean walks over and starts to look at the cuts more closely.  
"Why am I always the one who gets hurt" Cas complains as Dean moves the shirt out of the way to see the bruises.  
"Must of cracked a mirror recently" it's a bad joke but Cas huffs laugh which makes Dean smile and slightly confused that Cas understood a joke.  
"Ok take this off" he pulls gently at the shirt, his mind goes to the gutter at the words but Cas is unfazed and starts to take off his ruined shirt to reveal more of his now slightly pale skin from the cold. Dean reaches for the first aid. He looks around  
"Sit on the table" he says, it's high enough to be able to reach the cuts. Cas walks over silently and Dean catches a glance of that glorious back, as before it's scarred and bruised but Dean doesn't see them as flaws. He catches himself staring for too long and quickly fiddles with first aid. Cas sits up on the table and waits as Dean gets out a cloth to clean at the wounds so he can put some bandages on. When Dean has got some alcohol on it he gets closer to cas who leans back slightly so Dean can reach the cuts easily, balancing himself by leaning on his arms. Dean fights the the warmth that wants to rise to his cheeks and the blood rushing south.  
_Does Cas know he's doing this or does he just arch his back like that all the time_  
He ignores the thoughts and starts to dab at the cuts. He hears Cas wince at the sting but he doesn't react any other way. Silently Dean continues to clean the cuts and then putting down the cloth he braces himself. It's not necessarily sexual but this is Cas he's about to touch even if it's small he's still touching. He presses lightly where Cas' broken rib was which makes Cas wince slightly.  
"I don't think being kidnapped helped your broken rib" he comments. Cas nods and sits silently as Dean checks the other bruises across with the press of his fingers,he can feel the heat of his fingers against the skin as he presses his palm against his side quickly where bruises was. Dean tried to keep his breath in check with every contact with skin. The glow a Cas has usually eventually returns from the warm room. He quickly starts to cover some of the worse wounds with a dressing and then looks at Cas' face, they locked eyes and then Dean tired to distract himself by looking at the cuts and scrapes across the other mans face. He gets another cloth and and starts to wipe away the dried blood, careful of the bruises. The last place to clean was his cut lip where dried blood hid the light links. Dean hesitated, it felt inappropriate but Cas didn't look fazed and just waited. Eventually Dean picked up the courage and started to rub the full lips and slowly getting the blood off, Cas winced when Dean went over the still open cut but Dean carried on. Dean's mind had alarms going off about what the hell was happening but he continued to stay calm. He finished the final patch of blood on his bottom lip so pulled the cloth away weakly causing Cas' lip to be dragged down, Dean's eyes went a bit wider as he watched his lip escape the cloth and bounce back with a slight wet sound that had Dean's mind short circuiting. He notices how close they are but Cas doesn't move, Dean doesn't even know he'd been staring at the mans lips until he looks back up into those enchanting blue eyes. Cas is is letting out shallow breaths and he looks just as paralysed as Dean. The sound of the wind and the cars all seems so distant as Dean feels himself getting closer, he doesn't feel in control but his body is buzzing and with Cas half naked in front of him staring right back makes Dean forget about personal space or if the guys an asshole or whether it's right. He doesn't even notice because it's so light but eventually he catches up that his lips are against Cas'. It's light, the gentle press of his lips against the others. The plump feel of Cas' lips feels like heaven, still damp from the cloth and he can feel the cut against his own lips. He feels Cas start to kiss back and it becomes more noticeable that yes he's Kissing Castiel in a motel during a snow storm and it's the best feeling. He starts kissing back too and it's slow and meaningful which scares Dean about but he can't get enough and eventually it's gets more harder and there lips are dancing faster and he feels the warmth radiate off Cas. Dean feels like he's in heaven as he skims his tongue against the seam of Cas' lips.  
But then Cas stops  
Dean stalls and he leans back to see Cas absolutely terrfied, his eyes are flying frantically and he touches his lip which is glistening and tinged with a dark pink, the proof that the kiss was real but then it all comes crashing down. How fast Dean's mood dropped almost made him pass out. Cas jumps and for a split second they're up against each other, chest to chest. But then Cas moves away.  
"I need to use the bathroom" Cas mumbles, the words seem so loud in the room that's been so quiet and it shows that whatever just happend is over.  
"Cas-" his words are cut off by the door shutting and Dean actually wants to cry. He's fucked up...again-with Cas too. Why is he always fucking up? Dean bites the inside of his cheek. Emotions fly in his stomach like butterfly's on steroids. He feels angry, sad, tired...so, so tired. The buzz from before has gone sour through his body and it stings. He lets out a harsh breath and just to help Cas, to do anything. He quickly gets to bed so Cas doesn't have to see him till morning. 

_He's at Bobby's again, bodies lie on the floor. Sam is there, his eyes staring up at the ceiling coldly, Bobby against the arch way with his head flopping, Jo too. Other people from other cases are dead in pools of their own blood. Then he hears a voice, a mumble. He searches the faces until he sees him_  
Castiel  
He's bleeding out and he's trying to hold in everything through his shirt with a pained expression. Dean walks over calmly yet again, without emotion. He kneels next to Cas as his rapidly shaking hands try to put pressure on his wound like it would help.  
"Dean" Cas says, his voice is high and scared, wavering as his bottom lip shakes with every struggled breath. He smirks as he watches Cas' struggling begin to weaken  
"This is your fault..." Cas' last words makes Dean notice the machete in his hand, gripped tight enough that his knuckles were white. He looks back and sees Cas' eyes closed, his lips parted and hands lay across his stomach weakly. A voice was saying that yes this was all him, everyone's hurt because of _him_. For the first time he feels something else but the pleasure of killing. It's close to sad but it's mixed up and he doesn't like it. He glares, he'll need to deal with this the best way he knows. 

Dean wakes up. It's dark and his shirt is stuck to himself once again. He looks over, Cas is asleep. Dean feels his brow scrunch up in sadness, even looking at Cas is painful. Dean gets out of bed and notices the untouched burgers they were meant to eat, he's not hurngry though. It's two in the morning so he's had about four hours of sleep. He heads into the bathroom and decides to get ready for the day. The water pressure is defiantly better than most showers but it's not the best. He cleans gently over bruises and scrapes and he winces when he washes his hair, he forgot he'd been hit round the head.  
It's still snowing outside but not as heavy. He gets into a new suit and notices they need to make a stop at a laundromat. He's got a small lamp on and he looks through Manila folders until the rest of the city wakes up. 

Cas starts to wake up and Dean almost feels like running. He puts the folder down and begins to start packing things away. Cas sits up with a grunt and he slowly starts to wake up. He watches as Cas walks into the bathroom with his clothes without a word to Dean.  
They're eventually in the car after Dean angrily took all the snow off his car. Getting out is hard but they make it and they head to a laundromat.  
They sit awkwardly next to each other as they watch the machines spin and hum. An old lady keeps staring at them from her desk with glasses perched on her nose. Dean half expected to find a cat at her ankles. Dean finds a random magazine and begins to look through it, he notches it's about fashion which isn't Deans biggest passion but he scans over the shitty clothing in disgust.  
"Everyone knows you shouldn't do double denim" he mumbles as he flips through.  
"What?" Cas asks next to him. Dean looks over at Cas who's frowning  
"Oh nothing just talking to myself" Dean says as he looks into the those eyes, he doesn't like looking into them, not completely as he still remembers the panic in the spirals of blue but he somehow feels starved without them. Cas looks away so Dean can see his profile, he lets out a sigh and looks back at the magazine. 

The drive back reminded him of all those months ago when they sat awkwardly with Dean's music filling the air. It was like that all over again. They were six hours in, just passing though Sioux Falls and hardly anything had been said. Dean was fidgety, he wanted to say something but he doesn't know what. He feels like an apology would be a good place to start.  
"Cas...I'm sorry" Dean try's.  
"You have to say that a lot don't you" Cas replies coldly. That stung but he takes it, he deserves worse. Cas looks over at him and sighs "I'm sorry, that was rude" Cas says. Dean shakes his head  
"No you have no reason to apologise, I came onto you" Dean says  
"I didn't help, I have to admit...I was teasing" Dean looks over at Cas who's staring back, Dean gives a twitch of his lips and Cas does the same before Dean looks back at the road, the idea that Cas was teasing had Dean feeling jittery "but...I can't" Cas says quietly. Dean frowns and glances over at Cas "I don't know why I did it in the first place, I never meant to lead you on I just...can't...I can't " Cas says with the strongest amount of emotions he's heard from Cas. He he looks over for longer than would be safe and Cas turned his head out to the window, his Adam's apple bobbing with thick swallows. Dean looks back at the road and bites his lip  
"I don't understand" Dean says  
"Your right...you can't" Cas says in a quiet voice that he swore was wobbling  
"But if you'd just-"  
"Just drop it Dean" Cas cuts in  
"Ca-"  
"Just drop it!" Cas says, his voice boomed through the car, he sounded upset but it didn't deter his deep voice from showing what it could do. "It never happened ok?" Cas says with some sort of calmness. Dean swallows and nods his head as he speeds towards Kansas. 

Dean shut the door and locked it up. He started walking with Cas not far behind. It felt weird to be at headquarters again after half the month being away. He greeted some people and soon enough and they went towards the main section where the bored stayed. When they walked towards they found Charlie with two people he didn't know. One was a man with a lot of stubble and a small women in heels and her blonde hair in a bun. Dean frowns and when they get closer he starts to hear the British accents  
"Fucking great" he mumbles as they close in. Charlie sees them first and gives a pleading look. Once they got closer the two strangers stopped talking and looked over.  
"Ah, Dean and Castiel" the man says in a totally different accent to Arthur, more rough.  
"Uh yes?" Dean says questionably  
"Names Mick Davies, British men of letters" he puts out a hand and both of them shake it wearily.  
"How do you know us?" Cas asks. Mick looks over at him with a smirk  
"We know a lot about both of you, done our research" Mick says.  
"Seriously what's happened to the security in this place, how come everyone knows more about us than we do them" Dean says with exasperation. The women put out her hand the other holds a Manila folder.  
"I'm Lady Toni Bevell, pleasure to meet you both" they both shake her hand too.  
"So why are you here" Dean says, he knows some parts but he wants more info like who the heck are the British men of letters.  
"Well a boss of yours said you could use some assistance, understandable I guess" Toni says with a judgemental looks at them.  
"Now now Toni, they're not all bad" Mick says looking over at Cas with a wink. Cas tilts his head with a frown. Dean feels a hint of jealousy but also some sort of possessive feeling too. He notices that it's stupid, Cas isn't his. Toni rolls her eyes and then heads over to the bored. She places the folder down and then begins to rip things down. Both of them tense up and even Charlie looks startled.  
"The hell do you think you're doing" Dean growls. Toni looks back calmly.  
"Some of what you've got here is inaccurate and rather dumb, I'm putting up what we know" she explains as she starts to stick up sigils and photocopies of ancient looking papers.  
"Oh because you're experts" Dean says back sarcastically.  
"As a matter of fact we are" Dean scoffs at what Toni says "Dean we know about every date every...disturbing story about you. Everything" she says with a look over at Cas. Dean feels his cheeks heat. "So yes we're experts, our country has more knowledge about this than your lame excuse of research, just wait till we wrap this up quicker than you ever could" she says. Mick looks over with a smile and the roll of his eyes.  
"We're here to help you boys, Lady Toni tends to come off a bit...hostile, this is an alliance" he explains. Dean doesn't believe it and no one else looks that convinced either.  
"it'll just take a little getting use to and if we stay on track we'll be out of your hair before next Christmas" Mick says. Cas ends up talking to Mick so he heads over to Charlie, she nods her head towards the office and Dean nods. He gives one last look back at Cas with Mick and then turns away. Once inside she heads straight for the mini fridge and grabs two beers. Dean accepts the drink with enthusiasm, the fist swallow feels like heaven in his sore throat,  
"So..." she says with a smirk "last time we talked you gave me a confession" she takes a swig and Dean clenches his jaw. It feels stupid looking back it now, how childish he sounded on the phone and how cheesy his dreams were. "You still getting dreams about the stars or have you moved on to getting a house in suburbia" she teases.  
"I fucked up" he said it fast, just trying to get this all over with. She goes silent but he can't see her expression as he ducked his to look at the now very interesting beer bottle. She lets out a sigh.  
"What did you do" she says with slight annoyance. It hurt to hear her sound like that, how he's always fucking us and specifically with Cas. He takes a few breaths and prepares for the lecture about feelings.  
"I kissed him" it's mumbled and fast so obviously Charlie doesn't catch it which makes this even more embarrassing and painful.  
"What?" She asks.  
"I kissed him" he says and it's clearly loud enough because Charlie puts her beer down and walks over. She forces him to look up and her face shows sadness "I didn't know what I was doing, I just...then he pulled away" he says weakly. He feels like a girl. His dad's comments echo in his head and he sags his shoulders from tiredness...he's so tired. She instantly warps her arms around him and he eventually hugs her bag, holding her tightly. She knows he finds the whole feelings hard, he's been rejected at times of course but Cas felt more than just a girl in the bar or a guy during a case. He doesn't like that Cas meant something, he knew it would be a bad idea, the fact that he works in the same damn job should of told him to back off but of course he ignored that and he let himself think about Cas and look at Cas like he hung the moon. He was stupid.  
Charlie pulls away and looks up at him and she gives a small smile.  
"Was it good though" she says with a smirk. Dean chuckles and nods his head slightly.  
"Yeah...it was and I swear at one point, he kissed me back and he even told that he was teasing" he explains. She smiles but she also looks confused and Dean knows why "he said he couldn't...He didn't say anything else" Dean says. The corner of her lips turn down and her eyes look sad.  
"It'll get better, you'll figure it out...both of you will, just wait for him to calm down and realise what he's missing" Charlie says with a bright smile, she punches his arm and returns to her beer, Dean smiles and takes a sip of his drink. 

 

****************  
The next day Dean is told by Kevin that they all have to have a meeting which makes Dean rolls his eyes. Probably those British jerks again.  
He walks up to the bored from yesterday and finds Cas,Meg,Crowley,Garth and a load of other people who are working on the case leaning against desks or sitting in chairs. At the front stands Mick and Toni, another women with a permanent glare stands to the side next to Arthur who is fiddling with some gun looking thing. Yet again Toni is dressed in a suit, her hair up in a bun.  
"Ah Dean, glad you could make it" Mick says with a smile.  
"Yeah what exactly is happening?" Dean asks.  
"It's time we were all on the same page" Toni says, she nods her head towards a space next to where Bobby is leaning who has a very pissed off expression. He leans against it and Toni starts to talk.  
"I understand most of you haven't heard about us, there was once a men of letters here but the members were killed by...something not important" she says. Mick readjusts his hands in some sort of discomfort. "I'm not going to get into the history of the men of letters but all you need to know is we harbour the largest amount of information on the supernatural that you could ever imagine" she says.  
"Sam would love this" Dean mumbles to Bobby.  
"So we got a call from your superior telling us that your team needed help, the case was moving slowly I believe, so our knowledge and skill was needed to solve this" she says. Some snorts and rude comments were made at her speech which got a chuckle out of Dean.  
"You'll be lucky to make it through this year alive with comments like that" Meg says with a smirk. Bobby gives her a warning look but everyone laughs and Ash fist bumps her.  
"Now, now everyone and Toni please try an cooperate" Mick says, it seems he's always trying to keep the arguing to a minimum "you know how these Americans get, especially with their firearms" he says it quietly but most people heard. Dean can't argue though, he's not the best person to go against the fact. You should never cross and angry Dean with a gun.  
"And just to prove our point, we've already got an idea of where a group of very important monsters are having a meeting in a couple of days" Mick says, the both move aside and he points a finger a post it note.  
"Maryland, Baltimore" Mick says.  
"Now yes your team have saved a lot of lives but if you want to get to the bottom of this you've got the ring leaders" Toni says. Pictures of three men and a women are stuck. "These four are in charge, well more like the right hand men of the first vampire" Toni says. People mutter to each other.  
"So there is such thing as the first vampire?" Dean asks. Toni nods  
"We've got evidence to believe so, he may be in charge of it all but these four come up with ideas and tell people what to do" she says.  
"So we've decided to get there early, set up surveillance and get as much information as possible" Mick says.  
"So why aren't we killing them?" Cas asks, it's weird to hear him again and he misses it. He hates that he misses him. Dean clenches his jaw and stares over at Toni and Mick, he won't be able to look away if he sees those blue eyes.  
"Unless you want a full on war, we need to know their plans" Toni explains  
"And even if we didn't, there's far too much security" Mick says.  
"So who's going in" Bobby asks.  
"It's been a decided a small group will go in but Mr Ketch will go to through any strategic plans with the team" Toni says. She nods her head towards Ketch who gives everyone a polite smile. Arthur steps forwards after placing the weapon on the desk he was near.  
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I'm Arthur Ketch and I've already looked thoroughly threw your files so I've put together the team" he gets out a piece of paper "now it will be me and Ms Watt, Jo Harvell, Charlie Bradbury who will help with the tech, Dean Winchester, Castiel Novak and Meg masters. You will all be ready to head out by tomorrow and you'll have a meeting later on in the day" Mr Ketch puts the paper back in his pocket.  
"The rest of you will assist from here and any signs of small nest will be taken care of, you may get back to work" Toni says with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. People start to wander off talking to each other. Charlie walks over to him and rolls her eyes.  
"Dude I thought these guys would be great but they're the complete opposite" Charlie says. Garth comes over with a smile.  
"Well lucky you guys, the mission sounds like a lotta fun" Garth says. Dean wonders how he can be so optimistic. He glances over and sees Meg talking with Cas, she's got a look on her face like she's flirting. Cas doesn't seem to be reacting but he's like that. Cas has stubble on his face which is surprising for someone like Cas. It looked pretty good though, his jaw was more defined and it was doing things to Dean. Suddenly someone snaps fingers on his face and he blinks.  
"Dude wake up" Charlie says like she'd been trying to reach him for a while. She frowns and looks over to where Dean was staring. She lets out a long sigh as she notices Cas and looks back with a bitch face to rival Sam.  
"If you want to get over him so bad you should probably stop staring" Charlie says. Deans about to reply but Cas looks over and their eyes meet, his eyes are still bright blue but they look bloodshot and his face looks tired. He may like the stubble but Dean doesn't like the rest. He feels Charlie punch him hard in the arm which makes him lose eye contact and rub at his arm.  
"Ow" he grumbles. She rolls her eyes and puts a hand on her hip.  
"God you're like a love sick teen" she grumbles. Dean glares at her.  
"I am not" he argues. She cocks and eyebrow and just stares at him "shut your trap" Dean mumbles. She smiles and shakes her head.  
"Since we've got not much to do and you need a distraction why don't we look through a file I found on the men of letters" Charlie says.  
"You've found one?" Dean asks  
"Yes with like years of dust on it and I'm pretty sure something's hiding at the bottom. I could use some help looking at them" Dean nods, desperate to be away from Cas as Meg throws herself at him. He's jealous and he doesn't like it. 

Kevin is already in there writing stuff out in a notebook. He's got his headphones on so Charlie smacks him lightly around the head. He jumps and pulls his headphones off.  
"Dude" he grumbles. Charlie shrugs and heads to her desk where a very old folder lay. She comes back and sits at the table. Dean sits opposite and watches as Charlie carefully gets out pieces of old brown paper, some had stains, some had rips and most had weak lines where the paper was once folded.  
"Sure these won't fall apart when I hold them?" Dean asks  
"Just be careful" she says. Dean takes a page. At the top was a sign, two arrows it seems facing against each other but also crossing over with a ring surrounding. He raises an eyebrow but starts to scan through the faded writing. Some words were completely unrecognisable and some parts were blocked out so none of it made sense.  
"This all you got?" Dean asks as he picks up a small leather coverd book. Charlie nods  
"These guys are some underground cult or something" she says as she squints at the paper in her hands. Dean flips through the small book which seemed to be an entire history of some monster he's never heard of. They spent the rest of their time looking through what was in the folder and then went to get lunch. Cas came in at one point with Meg who was talking to Charlie about something which meant Cas would either stand awkwardly or greet Dean. He did interact, he said his usual ' _hello Dean_ ' and Dean said it back. He pretended to look through a very old version of busty Asian beauty's but really he was looking up at Cas, his feelings were still mixed about the situation. He felt kind of angry, at himself mostly but he didn't understand why Cas had been like that. Now Dean isn't a jerk and he knows 'being lead on' isn't really a good excuse for making a move but Cas had admitted he wanted it but saying he couldn't got Dean puzzled. The anger however wasn't what he felt the most which for Dean Winchester is a first. He felt rejected and he could still feel it in his gut, the constant feeling of hurt. Dean didn't understand any of it. If you had talked to Dean back in January about this Dean would of laughed his head off. As Dean Winchester doesn't _feel_ rejected and he certainly doesn't get sad over some guy who's acting complicated.  
Dean was a mess.  
Hester came in later telling Dean and Charlie had to head off to a briefing. Kevin gave them a good luck, he knew about the British men of letters and Deans rude comments only made him agree more that they were bunch of assholes.  
They headed back where they were before but chairs were set up facing the bored. The women Dean guessed was Ms Watt was sat down or more like slouching with her black jumper sleeves to her elbows and her arms folded across her chest. They decided to sit on the three behind and waited. Cas and Meg came next but Meg shoved Cas towards the spare seat next to Dean. Cas glares but sat down there anyway. His hair was out of order like he'd been shoving his hands through it.  
_Or maybe it was Meg_  
It did remind him of sex hair but then it looked like that when he woke up every morning. Dean didn't like the idea of Meg putting her fingers into his hair, tugging and stroaking. He glared at the image and decided that if he wanted to get over Cas he'd have to hate him. Meg sat next to the women and gave her smirk, they seemed like the sort that would laugh at a dying puppy together. Jo eventually came in and so did Ketch.  
"Afternoon to you all" Arthur said with a smile "so lets get started shall we?" He said with the clap of his hands.

Dean sat at a bar going over the plan once again. They would be leaving early the next day so he only had a couple of hours of sleep but it's not like he's missing out. They were told that the vamps were having a conference with some others at hotel called Fairfield Inn and lucky for them there was another hotel down the road they could stay at. Charlie would be there with Ketch where they'd have cameras on the area as well as them. Jo, Cas, Dean and Meg will be inside pretending to be staff so if anything is ordered they can walk in with microphones. Ms Watt will be situated some place in the room to hear anything else. Mr Ketch had given her some pills to use so her heart and blood will be silent to the vamps. All they needed to do was hope they weren't noticed. The vamps have said many times how they know a lot about Dean and Cas. He hopes they will be too busy to notice their faces. And to top it all off, he had to make the long drive with Castiel. Charlie had to be in the van with Ketch and Ms Watt whilst Jo had to go with Meg. So overall no one was really happy.  
Dean signalled the bar tender for another shot of whiskey. The man gave him a look and then started to fill Dean's fith shot. It wasn't enough to get Dean tipsy though, his relationship with liquor has been the longest one going when the others failed. The amber drink was placed in front of him once again and he mumbled a thank you as he swished the drink around in the small glass.  
"Alcohol won't make your problems disappear you know" he knew it was Meg by the thick accent and the sound of a smirk.  
"What do you want" he grumbled as he took the shot down. She sat down next to him  
"To talk" she says  
"Yeah good luck with that" he says staring at the stain on the wall behind the bar  
"It seems we've been hearing a lot about each other but we've never really talked" she says  
"Lets keep it that way" he replies coldly. He doesn't want to become besties with his stupid crushes fuck buddy.  
"I just want clean a few things up" she says and signals the bar tender for two shots of what Dean was having. "So...about Cas" she says with a wink. He rolls his eyes  
"Yeah I know, you two fuck" he says. She chuckles  
"We haven't fucked in a while actually" she says  
"Still" he says and drags the shot closer  
"It was good when we did... _very_ , but I always knew it was just a distraction for him, when he had too much on his mind" she explains  
"Where is this going?" He asks  
"Let me finish" she says "the past month or so he has come to me but not to have sex, he just wanted to cuddle which I found cute" she says with a fond smile. "We sometimes kissed but it was just to feel comfort you know...he talked about someone that I knew was you, at first it was angry talk then it went in a totally different direction but I won't say any more on what he said, you should talk to him about that" Dean takes down the shot and looks over.  
"So what's this clearing up" he asks. She looks back  
"I'm saying that he's not playing you around and I'm not flaunting myself at him or anything...he told me what happened" she says. Dean clenches his jaw and looks back at the empty glass "he's having a tough time Dean and he's angry at himself, he's upset. Do you know about Baltherzar?" She asks and then takes a shot.  
"Yeah" he says  
"Well the you know why he can't, he died months ago Dean and he's still healing or whatever. He loved him a lot and he still does, he also cares a lot about you too -don't tell him I said that though-so you see he just doesn't think he can handle that again. Baltherzar was his partner and he died on the job. So if he goes round kissing you and...fucking you he'll probably put a bullet in his brain if you died and with your history you're much more likely to die...no offence obviously" she says. Dean feels like an idiot. Here he was sulking and feeling sorry for himself whilst Cas is trying to heal from the death of someone he loved. How did he not think about Baltherzar. It makes sense now ' _I can't_ ' he should of figured that out. "So I'll let you soak that all in and I hope you two are ok tomorrow" she gets up and leaves some cash for the drink. 

**********************

Dean sipped his coffee as he watched Charlie put loads of tech into a duffle bag. Dean stifled a yawn with his spare hand and then after checked the time on his watch, _4:45_. He downed the rest of his coffee and tossed it into the trash.  
"Uh...Meg said she talked to you last night" Charlie's says as she loads her lap top into its case. Dean nods and then frowns.  
"Why is she talking to you all of a sudden?" Dean asks, noticing the two always seem to be chatting.  
"Turns out she's a closet nerd...don't tell anyone I said that" she said in a whisper. He smirked and nodded "so have you talked to Cas yet?" Charlie asks as she zips up her duffel.  
"Yeah we spoke through dreams all night long" he says with a smile. She rolls her eyes and slings the bag onto her shoulder.  
"I'm just saying that Cas is always early, probably lurking around here somewhere" she says with a shrug. Dean chuckles at the thought of Cas lurking in some dark corner. Charlie walks past and he follows her out. Ketch comes up to them with a smile and a good morning. They're told to head back to the parking lot and meet at the black van where Ms Watt is already waiting.  
The parking lot is cold but much warmer than usal, the sun is already swallowing the night and Dean is relieved that February is pretty much over. At the van stands Ms Watt with a stare colder than the weather and Jo who's typing on her phone. Jo looks up when they approach and looks thankful that they've approached. Dean wouldn't want to be alone with Ms Watt either.  
"Hey Jo" he says. She comes over and gives them both a hug. Jo is Ellen's Harvelles daughter. Ellen was good friends with their dad and both Sam and Dean saw her as a motherly figure especially when John was off chasing the things in the dark. She always looked after them,her and Bobby always stood up to their dad when he was being the man he is which was an asshole and a pretty shit dad. This meant he grew up with Jo, she was like a sister and they always snuck off with Sammy trailing after to pretend to be hunters with toy guns, Ellen never liked the idea of them doing what their dads did and she was certainly not keen on her own daughter doing it. They obviously did it however and it involved a lot of shouting between Jo and Ellen.  
Charlie put the equipment in the van and jumped back out.  
"God I thought she was gunna bite my head off" Jo whispered to him, weary of Ms Watt hearing. Dean chuckled and Charlie joined in with the rude insults that began to spill about the women a few feet away.  
Meg came in with Cas. Meg gave a small genuine smile at Dean and then elbowed Cas in his side, she headed to Ms Watt who didn't seem openly pleased with the new company but Meg started to talk to her about something and she seemed interested in. Cas walked over awkwardly with his duffle firmly in his grip.  
"Hey Cas" Dean says with a smile. Cas looked over and when he noticed the smile he seems to relax a bit. Charlie couldn't stop grinning as they all chatted, Jo was totally confused bit she didn't ask any questions. Not yet anyway.  
Ketch was seen walking over, fiddling with a cufflink. They all looked over and waited for him to get over to them.  
"Good morning glad you all made it on time, every one had breakfast?" He asked. They all gave some sort of replied and he smiled "fantastic, shall we get going?" Jo had a rusty truck that Her and Meg got into. Charlie gave them a look as she got into the van which left Dean and Cas. They walked over to Dean's car and put their luggage into the back. 

Things may have been resolved but that didn't mean they'd suddenly be talking for hours, Dean had the music on low as they headed out of Kansas. The roads were pretty clear at five in the morning but there was cars besides the teams. Dean hummed a long and saw as Cas got out the book he was reading last time.  
"Careful, might get car sick" Dean joked  
"I assure you, I won't vomit over your nice car" Cas said back with a hint of amusement. Dean chuckled and carried on driving. The sky was much clearer, light oranges tinged the cold blue sky as well as some clouds floating across the sky. Dean liked the mornings most of all, especially when spring or summer was close. He had to consentrate on the road however, his poetic mind would have to wait for another morning.

He smiled fondly whilst Cas dug into his burger next to him. He's glad Cas doesn't eat those salads anymore. He'd asked about it once and Cas jokingly said Dean was rubbing off on him. His dirty mind obviously though of rubbing as in... _rubbing_. He didn't say anything though and just smiled. There was an element of truth however. He noticed a couple of times that Cas would tap to the beat of Dean's songs and he started to speak like him sometimes. He liked how Cas did that without noticing. Jo, Charlie and Meg were squished on the other side as they tucked into their food too. They were at a Mc Donald's in Indianapolis. The two British jerks were some place else but they didn't mind.  
"This is really good" Cas says through a big bite of burger  
"Yeah for Mc Donald's" Dean remarks as he takes a sip of his coke. Cas fakes a hurt face  
"Don't insult the food America practically runs on" he says. Dean chuckles and eats some of his burger. He looks up and sees Charlie literally trying not to start bouncing on her side of the bench. Meg was smirked as she slurped her milkshake. Cas was oblivious as he finishes his burger but Deans settled them all with a glare. They stopped but they had look saying _This isn't the end_.  
They started driving again, the roads were filled more now so sometimes they were stopping due to traffic.  
"Remember that first case we had and I nearly drowned in snow?" Cas says. Dean looks over and remembers with a smirk.  
"Yeah and I laughed so you shoved me and we ended up soaked in snow" he says with a smile. Dean nearly crashed the car, Cas gave a real smile he liked the small twitch of his lips as it was cute but this smile was so much better, it's was gummy and totally dorky but Dean loved it, how his face lit up.  
Love  
He said love, in his head but he thought it. His own smile faltered a bit at the thought and not wanting to dampen the good mood he slapped on a bigger smile.  
"What made you bring that up anyway?" Dean asked. Cas had stopped his gleaming smile but he didn't look sad. He shrugged and watched as the traffic slowly moved along.  
"Just thinking" he says. Dean nods and thinks about it too. Fort Collins feels like years ago.  
"Sometimes we had the stupidest arguments" Dean says. Cas answered with an amused hum and the nod of his head.  
"To be honest half the time I argued with you was because I liked you, you were funny and you still have a cassette tape collection" Cas says with a small smile.  
"So why'd you decided to hate me?" Dean asks.  
"Well for starters I never hated you, I'd heard stuff...lies but I believed them and I felt stupid for liking a jerk" Cas says.  
"I can be a jerk sometimes, I just found how perfect you were-and don't let that get to your head what I mean is that you were ruled follower and you looked like no fun, I don't get along with people like that" Dean says. Cas chuckles  
"Yeah we'll get a load of shots in me and I'm a delight" Cas says. Dean laughs and Cas joins in. They sober up again and to Deans suprise Cas turns up the volume as the next song comes on. Dean wanted to kiss him again. 

 

It was almost midnight once they got into Baltimore. The city was still bustling with life where bars and other places were still open. They headed to the hotel which took a while and then they had to find a place to park. They had two rooms already booked which meant they had to share, there was some disagreement over it when they all got a call from Ketch. Three men in one and the women in the other. But obviously Ketch decided to make his own reservation so this meant Cas and Dean had to share one bed...alone.  
The hotel was alright but Dean was screaming in his head. He couldn't sleep in the same bed with that hot piece of ass that he couldn't touch. What if one of them slept on the other or Dean woke up with fucking morning wood. The others walked over to them when they were at reception all giggling and calm. Dean envied them. Cas didn't look to comfortable either.  
"So hear you two are sharing" Meg says with a wide smirk.  
"Yes" Cas said. Dean didn't think he could let a word out without it coming out with a squeak.  
"Don't make too much noise boys" Jo teased. Dean gave Meg a look. She shrugged  
"It was a long ride, it's the one thing we can agree on isn't it Jo?" Meg says. Jo snorts and they quickly run off before Dean starts on them. Dean clears his throat and he heads to the desk with Cas next to him. The lady at the desk smiles at them. He was told to ask for the name Barns.  
"Uh I reserved a room, names Barns" Dean says with a charming smile. The women blushes and gives a nod. She types away and smiles. She pushes her chair back and grabs a key.  
"Room six, any luggage needing help with?" She asks.  
"No we're fine" Dean says. She notices Cas and tries to contain a smirk.  
"Rules are it must be quiet after ten" she says. Dean almost rolls his eyes  
"We'll make sure to keep it down" Dean says with a smirk "come on sweet cheeks" he says Cas and guides him by the back towards the stairs. He glances back and sees the women as red as a tomato. Cas looks confused  
"What was that?" Cas asks. Confused by the nickname and the unnecessary touching.  
"A joke Cas" Dean says and smiles at the clueless look on Cas' face. 

The room was fancy, it had a four poster bed with a load of pillows and nice looking sheets. There was a writing desk near the windows where curtains were held. There was a a dresser too in dark wood with fancy handles. It was also en suit. Dean hoped there would be little soaps. He heard the door close and Deans mind was on overdrive. Cas wasn't talking as he took a few things out of his duffle bag.  
"I'm going to take a shower" Cas says. Dean smiles and gives a nod. There's no TV so he decides to test the bed. He takes off his jacket and shoes and giving a look at the door he hops on and lies back.  
"Holy shit that's memory foam" he says with a groan. He hasn't had memory foam in months, maybe even a year. He lies back on the pillows and decorative cushions. He stays there and he almost drifts off to sleep but he hears the door open and Cas comes out in just a towel.  
"Just getting my clothes" Cas says. Dean watches the water droplets drift down his broad chest and dance over his abs. He licks his lips subconsciously to hide the urge to lick up the chest. He blinks and notices that Cas might catch him staring.  
"Nah it's fine I was gunna take a shower anyway" Dean quickly gets up and tried to ignore the hot curve where his spine meets his ass. His dick is interested however. He hides his growing boner behind his clothes and tries to ignore the alluring hip bones, the water glistening in the light and those damn collar bones that Dean wants to mark up so bad. He almost runs into the bathroom but chooses to fast walk in and then quickly locks the door. He turns on the shower so he can let out a huff of hair.  
"Jesus..." he mumbles. Dean strips and tries to ignore his half hard cock between his legs. His mind however has been taken over by dirty thoughts and it's only making the blood rush to his groin. Dean notices the tiny soaps and he feels a glint of happiness at the nice smells but then his thoughts are elsewhere as he lathers himself up. He gets through three minutes until he can't take it anymore. The flash of Cas is through his mind and he's fully hard now. Dean grips his cock and lets out a satisfying moan at finally getting to touch himself. He feels the strong sensation as he reaches the base and then back up the shaft slowly, Dean lets out a quiet gasp and he begins to think of blue eyes under thick elegant eyelashes. Instead of his hand it's plump swollen lips wrapped around his cock, instead of his finger it's the mans tongue sweeping over tip making him bite his lip. He lets out a whimper which he hopes the shower blocks out. Then he starts to speed up, his mind conjures up the obscene sounds as Cas goes down deeper and deeper whilst doing tricks with his tongue with every suck. pre-cum beads at the top but too lost in the pleasure to care how fast this is happening. He can feel how deep Cas can go and how he lets out a moan that vibrates down his throbbing member, the thought sending shivers up his spine. He leans his head against the wall of the shower and he feels the warmth pool in his gut as Cas starts to speed up his sucks, going deep every time, his body is burning hot despite the shower and his breath comes out in fast pants as he feels his body starting to tense, his muscles jumping. He grips his cock harder building up the pressure and twists his wrist causing sparks of pleasure. His can feel it rising, his orgasm teetering almost teasingly and then the pressure begins to rise and images of the dance of muscle under such nice wet skin and droplets of water racing down a tan broad chest, Dean lets out a possibly too loud groan as he feel himself come, he closes his eyes in ecstasy as the bliss washes over him, his muscles jump and tense under his skin with his vision coming out blurry. His breathing is harsh and feels himself slowly start soften in his hand. He lets go and leans against the ceramic tiles, his body feels fuzzy and his legs are numb.  
"Holy shit" he whispers into the shower.  
He feels dirty when he returns to the room where Cas is in the bed reading his book silently. The side lamp is on and the main is off. Dean sighs, he chucks his clothes into his duffle and prepares himself for a long long night. He gets in the other side, the sheets are smooth and the feel and smell of fresh sheets makes Dean feel sleepy. Cas puts his book down and smiles over at him.  
"Enjoy your shower?" Cas asks. Dean frowns until he sees the smirk cross Cas' face.  
"I uh...I..." Dean feels his cheeks heat and his heart hammer in his chest  
"Don't worry it's perfectly natural" Cas says with a smirk. Dean groans and runs his hands down his face.  
"Yeah I heard you the first time" Cas mumbles as he turns off the light.  
"What?" Dean asks  
"I said I heard you the first time...in the shower" Cas says and he sounds like he's smiling, the asshole.  
"I preferred it when you didn't make jokes" he says into the dark. Cas chuckles and Dean loves the sound of it in the dark.  
"Goodnight Dean" Cas says  
"Night Cas" he hums as he presses his face into soft pillows. They have space between them and Deans about to drift off for once within five minutes until he hears the thump of a bed frame against the wall.  
" _Ohhh harder Dean you feel so good inside me_ " someone moans. He perks up  
" _God your so tight Cas_ " someone moans back. He realised it's Jo and Meg saying that shit.  
"NOT FUCKING FUNNY GUYS" Dean shouts through the wall. There's an erupt of laughter and Cas sits up next to Dean  
"I mean guys get it right, everyone knows I top" Cas says in a smug voice, he doesn't need to shout as loud. There's more laughter and a few whoops and a 'you go Cas' from Meg. Dean gives him a bitch face in the dark and Cas looks back, his face highlighted by the open curtains. Cas chuckles and smiles. Dean can't help but chuckle back with a shake of his head.  
"Like I said, I preferred it when you didn't make jokes" Dean says. They lie back down and then they hear talking.  
" _dude they're so cute_ " someone says  
" _I know right_ " someone replies eagerly  
" _you think they're making out right now?_ " there's a few giggles  
" _it'd be about time _" someone says. Dean can feel his cheeks burning__  
" _and by the way guys...Cas so tops_ "  
" _no shit Sherlock have you seen Dean_ " there's a couple of laughs.  
"You know we can hear you guys right?" Dean says through the wall. Trying to stop the stupid conversation. There's some laughs but they go quiet on the other end. Dean doesn't even glance at Cas as he lies back down. He can feel his heart beating against his chest.  
"They're really bad at jokes"Cas says seeming to try and brighten up such a serious subject. Dean hums in response and looks up at the material hanging above. "Good night" Cas mumbles.  
"Night" he says and then turns to face the the windows. He couldn't sleep, his mind raced with thoughts and even embarrassment. At first he took it as a joke and Cas seemed to take it pretty well too but the conversation was eventually too serious and teasing at a very sensitive subject for both of them. Dean felt a hint of betrayal, he'd opened up to Charlie and told him how he felt and now he was getting the back lash. At least the dreams weren't mentioned. He wouldn't hold it against her, he loved her dearly and he knows she means no harm. So as a true Winchester, throughout the night he's ended up blaming himself for the situation. It makes sense as he's the one that told Charlie and out of the group when it comes to Cas and Dean, She seems to be the one who can't keep her mouth shut. Dean knew that and she'd even told him so that she'd tease so he had walked into that one. Both him and Cas could of also just went along with joke if he hadn't kissed him because now it's all to real.  
Eventually though sleep begins to overpower him and his thoughts. His eyelids shut and he falls asleep to the words of himself saying  
_this is all your fault_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of nervous about some of this chapter (you know what I'm talking about). I'm not an expert on men masturbating so apologies. But yeah Dean is in a very sticky (heh) situation right now. Hope you enjoyed and sorry for any mistakes. :)


	12. Chapter twelve

He wakes up with a jolt. He can hear his heart beating in his ears as he slowly begins to notice that it was just a dream. His shirt is stuck to him but he doesn't move because in front lies Castiel. His heart rate begins to slow and he feels himself relax. Cas is still asleep, his eyelashes cast shadows onto his cheeks from the sun that's rising through the windows, Cas looks calm in his sleep with his lips open slightly letting out soft sounds and his hair is a mess but it looks soft and he can smell the strong sweet smell of his shampoo. He is telling himself to look away, to just stop being a creep but he's still got bruises on his cheeks and the cut on his lip and Dean wants to kiss it all the urge is strong and buzzing through his veins. He bites the inside of his cheek and closes his eyes letting out a shaky breath  
"Get a fucking grip Winchester" he tells himself.

Charlie and Jo are sitting on the bed yapping away about something as Dean fiddles with his watch and Cas ties up his boots.  
"So we eating here or heading out for breakfast?" Jo asks as she inspects the ties in Cas' duffle bag, Cas had complained but it didn't stop Jo.  
"Probably too late for breakfast, I think they've got times when you have to be down to get it" Cas says finishing in his shoes.  
"You think that Ketch guy cares we got up late?" Charlie asks. They all reply with the same response of they don't know with either a shrug or a mumble.  
"Lets go out hunting for some food then" Jo says with the clap of her hands.  
They don't get far out before Mr Ketch gets them and tells them to get something on the go and mentions a sandwich shop a few blocks over.  
When they make it back they find Ketch, Ms Watt and Meg sitting in a small courtyard on garden chairs at a table talking. It looks weird seeing these three sitting on elegant green chairs as Ms Watt swirls her tea with spoon and Meg taps Mr Ketch's chair with her heeled boot in her leather jacket and black jeans. Dean feels like laughing at the sight.  
_it's like hells angels riding mopeds_  
He smirks at the thought as they get closer.  
"Sup bithces" Charlie says with a smile. Ms Watt gives a disapproving look over her cup as she takes a sip. Meg waves and Mr Ketch just smiles  
"Good morning to you too, now all of you grab a seat" Mr Ketch says. They get a seat some from a couple of other tables and then make a small circle around.  
"So as you lot slept we came up with the plan to get you all into the hotel" Mr Ketch says "with a little bribing we managed to get you a few jobs inside, this also means you need to dress up" Dean glares at the thought of being hotel staff, he's seen the uniforms they have to sometimes wear. "So these are your rolls, Jo you're a cleaner, Castiel, Dean and Meg will be giving drinks and any other refreshments" he says. Jo starts to complain about being a cleaner and Dean taps his foot as he thinks about how this is going to work. 

"You've got to be kidding me" Dean complains. Charlie chuckles from her place at her desk. Dean looks at the outfit once more "why?" He asks no one in particular. Charlie snorts as she fiddles with a wire "and you can shut up" Dean says pointing a finger at Charlie.  
"What, it's not even that bad" she says with a shrug  
"A freakin' waistcoat" Dean complains. The outfit is a red shirt with a black waist coat, over that is a black jacket along with slim black slacks with a red line down the side of them.  
"So maybe it's not that great but it's only for a day" Charlie says as she logs onto computers  
"Your not the one wearing it" He complains. The vamps are apparently already at the hotel which means they are heading in once they are ready. Dean heads back to his room to get changed.  
When he steps in Cas is fiddling with his waistcoat, the jacket hung on the back of a chair.  
"Hey" Dean says. Cas looks up and gives a small smile  
"Hello Dean" Cas replies. Dean finds it very unfair that Cas can look so good in a cheap waistcoat and a red shirt. His muscles stretch against the fabric and even if it is cheap Cas makes the waist coat look great and the slacks...All tight around his nice-Dammit Winchester no!  
Dean feels like punching something, maybe even Cas' pretty face.  
He rushes into the bathroom and decides to get changed there.  
Once he gets out he feels stupid. Wearing suits daily as an agent wasn't pleasing either but this was stupid. He also had to make his hair more smarter which meant combing it to the side.  
"Ready?" Cas says. He looks up and catches Cas look him up and down. He feels his cheeks begin to heat and tries to cover himself with the cross of his arms.  
"Yes...are you?" Dean says back with a glare. Cas bites his lip and shakes his head at Deans reaction.  
"Yes come on" Cas says grabbing the hotel key.

"Hello you handsome fellas" Meg says with a smirk and an appreciative look. Meg has the same colour scheme but wears a black pencil skirt and heels instead.  
"Hello Meg" Cas greets. Dean can feel his cheeks still burning so clears his throat.  
"Ah your all ready, brilliant" Mr Ketch says appearing from no where. Jo comes down stomping her feet and a glare. Dean lets out a chuckle at her very stereotypical cleaner outfit.  
"Looking as good as ever Jo" Meg says with a smirk. Jo glares daggers at her but soon distracted as Mr Ketch begins to place mircorophones and small cameras on all of them.  
"These will record anything said or seen but me and Bradbury will be here watching" he says. Ms Watt is no where to be seen but Mr Ketch tells them she is already in position and waiting for the vamps to start their meeting.  
They head over to the hotel as both Charlie and Mr Ketch yap in their ears about the plan and what to expect. The meeting was going to start in an hour or so in one of the boardrooms. Luckily for them they had asked for some refreshments which would mean they can go in when needed.  
" _It's also not just these four_ " Mr Ketch says in his ear again " _which is also why we're so curious about what the hell this is about, it's far too formal for vampires_ " he says.  
"Can you turn the damn volume down on these things?" Jo complains as she fiddles with the ear piece.  
"Is this all you Americans do? Complain" Ms Watt says through the ear piece  
"Can you stop bringing in the fact that we're American, just because your British doesn't make your superior" Jo snaps back.  
" _Get on with it_ " Mr Ketch says with exasperation.  
In the hotel Jo goes off with another cleaner, Meg is told to show the Vamps the boardroom whilst Cas and Dean set up the room with another staff member. A women's named Sarah hands them table cloths to put on top whilst she gets the glasses. They start to lay it out silently over the dark wood table and tucking seats in afterwards.  
"Wish we were chopping their heads off than giving them drinks" Dean grumbles as he smooths out waves in the cloth. Cas hums in reply as he tucks in a chair.  
"It's not our place to say unfortunately" Cas says  
"Yeah exactly they're over here yet we have to follow their orders?" Dean says leaving a stubborn crease alone "we don't even know these guys and we're supposed to trust them?"  
"Believe me I agree but we can't do anything and right now we're proving that all we do is complain" Cas says with a look over at Dean. Dean rolls his eyes and leans forward on a chair.  
"I'm not gunna keep my mouth shut when I don't like something" Dean snaps. Cas rolls his eyes.  
" _We can all hear you two you know_ " Charlie says to them  
"Yeah good, you catch that British douchebags?" Dean says  
"Dean" Cas says with a warning tone  
"What?" Dean says with fake innocence. Cas tilts his head with the cock of his eyebrow. Dean sighs and goes back to getting that stupid wave out of the cloth.  
Sarah comes back and tells them to set up the glasses as she puts a small vase with fresh flowers in the middle. Dean places glasses down at seats and notices the name cards Cas is placing down. He taps him on the shoulder and Cas looks up.  
"What?" Cas asks  
"You looking at the names?" Dean asks and takes one out of Cas' hands. On a golden piece of card written in black is the name _Lucy Berk_. Dean looks at the one on the table which reads _Gordon Walker_.  
"What about them?" Cas asks  
"Well if we've got names maybe we can find out about them, like before they were turned" Dean says  
"Why?" Cas asks taking the cards back. Dean lets out a sigh  
"It could come in handy" Dean says.  
" _He's right_ " Mr Ketch says blasting through his ear  
"Dude my ears" Dean complains  
" _But we've already done that so I suggest you finish up, word is the vamps are heading your way_ " Mr Ketch says. They carry on and then once the door opened Sarah shoos them to the door. A blonde women looking out of place in jeans and boots stands outside. She passes close to Dean looking at him before walking in. Dean lets out a huff of air, luckily he wasn't noticed. As they make there way outside for guidance from Sarah a man passes. He sweating, it shines in the light on his dark skin and his eyes scan every where with a glare of death. He's wearing flannel and Dean swears he saw blood on his undershirt. The man heads in and as Sarah guides them towards the bar to get the vamps drinks they pass another man and women but they're dressed smartly in suits. Her heels clack on the wood floors and they are talking in hushed voices. The women has short brown hair and wears a lot of jewellery. The gems reflect the light into his eyes and he flinches. It catches the twos attention and they look up at him but before they could get a good luck Cas grips his elbow and discreetly moves him along.  
"Be more careful next time, most likely they know who you are" Cas says into his ear. The breath against his face and the deep gravely voice causes the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Cas moves back however and the warm hand disappears from his elbow. Cas however does walk beside him a little to close to normal causing their hands to brush past, he can't help but move closer just so they bump hands more often and god does he feel like an idiot for trying to cherish every touch. He needs to get laid. 

"Ok they've asked for wine so you take this and you take the these" Sarah gives over the wine to Cas and a tray of small foods over to Dean who gives a pleased smile at the nice looking foods.  
"Dean" Cas says with his warning voice. Dean looks over with a frown "keep your hands off" Cas says. Dean pouts and gives a disappointed look down at the foods "if there's any left maybe you can take few ok?" Cas says. Dean looks up at him trying not to look so happy. Cas rolls his eyes and walks back towards the room.  
Cas silently walks in and a few look over but then just continue talking. As Cas opens the wine Dean listens intently as he places the tray down towards the middle.  
"Shame Cory couldn't make it" Another man he hadn't seen said. Dean raised an eyebrow at the name but quickly carried on placing the tray down.  
"Yes" The women with brown hair said which Dean found out was called Lenore. The women showed no emotion where as the blonde girl named Lucy bit her lip with a frown.  
"I know you're all concerned...we're trying to deal with the situation" Lenore says and sips her wine. Cas gives a quick glance and Dean looks back. That doesn't sound good.  
Just as Dean straightens up he catches a glance from the man Gordon. The vamp doesn't look away though and he looks like he's about to say something, Deans heart rate rising like the words in Gordon's mouth. Cas however offers the wine to Gordon who looks over at Cas and nods. Dean quickly heads out of the room before they question his sudden erratic Herat rate. Cas comes out eventually and once they seem to be far away enough Dean lets out a huff of air.  
"Dude that was close" Dean says as he follows Cas to the bar  
"Yeah too close" Cas says placing a cloth down from the wine.  
"So that didn't sound good at all" Dean said leaning against a wall  
"No but at least we know what's to come...I guess having these men of letters around wasn't so bad after all" Cas says. Dean snorts and crosses his arms.  
"Yeah whatever man" Dean says "still a bunch of jerks" he mumbles.  
"Dean" Cas says and points towards his own microphone. Dean rolls his eyes  
"Yeah whatever, hey check this out" Dean looks into where's he knows Cas' camera is and sticks up his finger. Cas lets out a sigh and bats his hand out the way. Dean puts up his finger again and Cas hits it back harder  
"Hey man, chill" Dean says but then sticks his finger up again anyway. Cas obviously bats it away and then Dean starts to poke him  
"Dammit Dean" Cas grumbles as he pushes both of Dean's hands back. Dean grins and shoves him a bit and then they end up just smacking each other across the chest an arms.  
" _You know we can all hear this shit right?_ " a voice sounding like a seriously bored Jo says.  
" _Yeah leave it for the bedroom boys_ " Charlie says with a smirk that can be heard through the ear piece.  
"Shut up Charlie" Dean snaps back  
" _Hey right back at you fuck truck_ "  
" _God would you shut up_ " Mr Ketch says angrily though the arguing " _if you haven't noticed we're currently under cover on a very important mission, not on a damn play ground so grow the hell up and get back to work_ " they all go silent and carry on with some form of work but Cas and Dean just end up finding Jo and they just sit in a janitors closet. They're not told off though as it's probably wiser they don't go round having mini fights and probably looking like lunitcs shouting curses into the air. They end up talking about the case anyway though and make up some random conspiracy theories and shit but obviously Cas just silently judges them as Jo and Dean do so.  
After a while Jo is told to head to the room to clean up so Cas and Dean head back through the fire exit to head hack to the hotel. Dean can't wait to know what they've found out and Cas looks slightly pumped as well.  
Back at the hotel they found Charlie with her feet up on a bench as she typed on her computer. Mr Ketch sat at the desk writing on papers.  
"Hey guys" Charlie says looking up.  
"Hey" Dean says. Jo pulls off her apron and white trainers with a grumble of curses and then lies on the bed.  
"I'm never doing that again" she says. Dean practically rips off the waist coast with a sigh of relief.  
"Same here"  
"Where's Meg?" Charlie asks.  
"Bathroom" Cas says  
"was our endless hours of boredom worth it?" Dean asks as he sits on the bed.  
"Yes it was" Mr Ketch says turning around "we've finally proven the that there is a first vampire and also discovered what the hell they're doing what ever it is" Mr Ketch says.  
"Yeah turns out the plan is to take over, for vampires to eventually kill and breed as many as possible" Charlie says.  
"And they're doing surprisingly well, the amount you're killing just isn't enough...but we've got an idea" Mr Ketch says and starts to order papers to put in a Manila folder.  
"What we're thinking...well he did, is that the vamps in their? Some are from nests across the states representing them almost. The ones in suits are the four that are in close contact with the first vamp" Charlie says  
"So that means they're all following orders, where they go what they kill is all controlled" Mr Ketch says as he stands up "but we can discuss this later at dinner, we've got reservations At Aldo's, Charlie knows where it is" Mr Ketch says  
"Not more dressing up" Dean whines.  
"Yes I expect you to dress smartly for this...no cheap suits" Mr Ketch says looking at Dean. As he walks to the door Dean give some him the bird and grumbles to himself. He closed the door and Dean fell back onto the bed.  
"This place better be good" Jo mumbles  
'God I could eat a burger right" Charlie said with a sigh. Dean groaned and started to think about a big greasy burger.  
"How long we got?" Dean asks  
"Couple of hours, we've got a spot at eight" Charlie says. So six hours till some fancy meal.  
"Shall we go out?" Jo asks.  
"Yeah see no harm in it" Dean says "right well I'm getting out of these clothes before we do" Dean says and everyone agrees so Cas and him head to their room.  
They silently get dressed into some causal clothing. Dean turns away from Cas to avoid the half nakedness he may see. Lucky for him he gets the rough the change boner free. 

He always ends up here, but this time Cas has to suffer as well. They sit opposite the changing rooms on hard red benches as they both hold a bag as well as few shopping bags at their feet.  
"I think I've every lost track of time" Dean says.  
"What sort of shop hasn't got reception" Cas says with a deep set frown. Dean huffs a laugh in response. He fiddles with the handle of Jo's bag as looks at the floor. He scrunches his mouth up and makes a squeaky noise and taps along with his foot.  
"Dean" Cas says after a minute of inhumane noises. Dean looks over at Cas who has a very bored expression. Dean lets his head hit the wall behind him and lets out a groan.  
"Why do we have to be here?" Dean complains.  
"To look after the bags" Cas says. Dean turns his head still on the wall and gives him a bitch face.  
"Shut up" Dean says facing the rooms again.  
They get out of the shop eventually and then go get some lunch at a cheap diner (out of habit) and then go to a few other shops. It's getting towards the time for their reservations so they find a cab and head back to the hotel.  
The next problem of the day is what he should wear to this stupid dinner. Cas managed to persuade Dean to let him pick something out so he wouldn't go in wearing jeans and a button up. Dean is dressed in a black suit with freakin bow tie (yeah a bow tie). The expensive suit was leftover from an undercover job him and Sam did a while back, luckily the suit just needed a little airing and it was ready to wear. Cas was in something similar but far nicer with less wrinkles and had a soft material, even his damn cuff links were expensive looking.  
"Dude where'd you get all this stuff from?" Dean asks pulling slightly at one of the lapels of Cas' jacket. Cas shrugs.  
"Some from being an agent and then gifts" Dean just stares and appreciates how more defined his jaw looks now by the smart collar and black bow. A light stubble can also be seen and all Dean can think about is what that stubble would feel like against his own skin. There's a knock on the door distracting Dean. Meg swung on the door frame with a smirk.  
"Lookin' good boys" Meg says with a wink. Dean rolls his eyes and Cas just shoves her arm as they pass. Outside Jo and Charlie are waiting looking classy as always. Mr Ketch and Ms Watt come down too so they head out to the restaurant.  
It's much fancier than Dean had thought so he mentally thanked Cas for persuading him to change. Some parts of the ceiling were glass letting the array of stars become visable. A red just edging dark covered some walls as well as elegant curtains over classic windows as soft music is played by a small group. The waiter placed them at a round table with tall candles and soft seats. Menus were handed out as well as a drinks list which made Dean cock an eyebrow. Dean had been to his share of fancy restaurants due to work so he knows that his hate for them is fair. Some foods were alright but as he looked at the arrogant waiter and the rich guests smelling their wine like a bunch of idiots Dean didn't care what they served. He just wanted a burger. Dean flipped through the menu panic setting in the further he reads the fancy Italian writing. Dean is probably the only person at this damn table who can't understand this shit. He knows Charlie learnt several languages through her years of work, Mr Ketch and Ms Watt seem the type, he remembers someone mentioning Meg having some Italian in her, Jo knows enough and Cas is Cas so of course he'd know Italian. He grips the menu and slips down into his seat behind the big menu. He feels like he's the odd one out even if he's dressed right and shaved. He feels like trash.  
"Dean?" He hears the familer rumble of Cas' deep voice next to him. He glances over and sees Cas with a concerned look on his face.  
_fucking brilliant_  
"Yeah?" He says quietly back.  
"You alright?" Cas asks. Dean bites the inside of his cheek and repositions himself in his chair.  
"I'm great man why'd you ask?" Dean asks ignoring the feeling of his ears heating up.  
"You found something you like?" Cas asks but he's got this look saying he already knows Dean damn well can't read the freakin' menu. Was he seriously that bad of a liar?  
"Never liked Italian" Dean says. Cas tilts his head slightly.  
"You ok reading it, I'm no good at Italian either" Cas says back with the twitch of his lips.  
_yeah right_  
Dean covers up his feelings with a grin. Cas doesn't looked convinced about it though and Dean has no idea if it's just Cas or whether he's that easy to read. Dean would prefer it to be the latter but seeing how no ones noticed Deans predicament but Cas he fears otherwise.  
"Can't read it either?" Cas asks. Dean acts insulted by the words and snorts. Cas just raises an eyebrow. Clearly he isn't getting out of this so admitting defeat he lets out a sigh feeling heat blossom onto his cheeks.  
"Not a damn word" he says with a small smile. Cas chuckles and puts down his menu then pulls Deans closer between them.  
"Lets find the nicest sounding thing and see how it goes" Cas says with a smirk which shouldn't be aloud on such a handsome face. He clears his throat and smiles.  
"Out of any other options" Dean says and then goes back to the menu. The talk through the whole menu for their starter and main. Cas puts on an Italian accent as he goes through and Dean tired to copy but failing miserably causing both to bark out a laugh meaning heads turned with disproving glances but for once Dean couldn't care less. The waiter came and they said their orders. Dean and a Cas were teased about getting the same things but their legs were kicked under the table the waiter giving a disgusted look. The waiter finally 'fucks off' (that got a couple of kicks to Deans legs) and they go back to talking as they wait for their wine.  
"So you gunna tell us about the case?" Jo asks.  
"Ah the case, may we wait for wine?" Me Ketch asks with a smile. Jo sighs but leans back in her chair.  
"I'd rather be chopping vamps heads off than waiting for over priced wine" Dean complains.  
"Dean" Cas says looking around at the other guests.  
"They're judging me anyway might as well give them something to talk about about" Dean says as he fiddles with a fork tracing the elegant decorations. Cas sighs but doesn't continue.  
"One step at a time Dean. I was going to wait for the wine but I'll tell you this, we need to nip this at the bud and what better place to start than these four, we can't get the first vamp so we cut off the next line of orders who will they follow?" Mr Ketch says.  
"But what if they replace them, you said so yourself there's a lot of vamps" Cas says.  
"It'll give us time" Mr Ketch replies.  
"So what? When there's people dying we're supposed to sit on our thumbs?" Dean asks with his voice rising.  
"Obviously not, if a case happens to be in the area we're not stopping you but right now other agents are on those cases so stop complaining and people will stop dying. Now our wine is coming so keep it down" Mr Ketch says with a stern face before the waiter comes back and his calm persona appears. Another waiter come too holding another wine which are skilfully poured into the glasses. They thank them and get small smiles back before leaving again saying their starters are on there way.  
"So now we've got wine, care to elaborate?" Jo asks and takes a sip of her wine.  
"Alright. If you remember I said about some vamps in there representing other nests. People like Gordon Walker who we are working on to find out about where he comes from" Mr Ketch says.  
"But obviously they can't talk to every vamp leader, there's a shit tone of nests" Dean says.  
"Yes that's what we were thinking" Charlie says placing her wine down "we're guessing word is spread through the others" Charlie says.  
"How do we plan on getting to these vamps, from what I've seen actually there wasn't much security" Cas says.  
"Well as it happens there were a lot of vamps in there, if you happened to try and kill one they'd all attack you" Charlie says taking more than just a sip of her wine.  
"You never said that" Jo says  
"Well it was obvious" Ms Watt says.  
"Now I'm afraid my stomach is calling and I'd hate to talk about such subjects as our food comes so why don't you wait till the report is written out to find out more" Mr Ketch says as their starters arrive.  
The food that Dean and Cas got was disgusting so they decided just to keep ordering wine as. The others did almost the same but slowly they both made their way through the drinks list from champagne to shots. The whole group became a whole lot looser. Cas and Dean had fell to the floor at least twice.  
"You guys should eat some food" Charlie says grinning over the desert she'd got.  
"Fuck you man" Dean says with a wide grin. Some people glance over at them with looks of disgust.  
"You wanna picture buddy?" Cas says to a man glaring. Cas starts to lean too far off his chair and Dean giggles (yes actually giggles) reaching out to stop Cas but he weakly grabs his arm both of them falling onto the floor in a tangle of limbs. They burst into a fit of giggles letting a snort or so leaving them in tears.  
"Dude you sound like a pig" Dean says snorting himself. Cas shoves his arm and starts laughing again.  
"You guys should head back and get to sleep" Jo says finishing her champagne.  
"Whatever, Cas they don't want us around" He starts to get up leaning on Cas' chest to balance himself "so firm" Dean mumbles patting his chest as he gets up.  
"You guys can get back safely right?" Charlie asks with a look of concern through her tipsiness. He holds Cas by the elbow once he's up with a grin.  
"Yeah we're cool" Dean says  
"So cool" Cas says stretching out his arm and swinging it "cool as the wind and...and..."  
"Have a good night boys" Meg says "don't do anything I wouldn't do" She says and sips her wine. Cas snorts  
"Yeah ok" Cas says tugging Dean along.  
"Don't screw this up boys" Jo whispers. Ms Watt and Me Ketch frown but the others smirk.  
They wobble out of the restaurant into the dark cold night. An icy wind blows past but they are unfazed as they plan to head back to the hotel. But somehow they end up at a McDonald's eating burgers and fries. On the other side of the room sat a homeless looking man and behind them was a too loud group of girls, otherwise though there was no one else. Dean heard Cas gagging and snorted when he saw Cas gagging on the straw when he sucked to far. Cas looked up at him and Dean looked back with a wide grin.  
"You're so dirty minded" Cas mumbles and picks up his burger letting some lettuce fall out.  
"This is better than that Italian place" Dean says dipping his fry in the ketchup.  
"I second that" Cas says muffled by food. Dean chuckles and shoves a load of fries into his mouth with a pleased moan. He watches as a Cas shoves the last piece of burger into his mouth with his cheeks bloated. Dean grins again and Cas throws his leftover wrapper at Dean but misses and it falls to the floor.  
"I don't think I can eat anymore"Cas says stroking his stomach and then belching.  
"Dude" Dean says with a chuckle "that was a good one" Dean says trying to pat Cas on the back but ends up just waving his arm around.  
"Lets get out of here" Cas says sliding off his stool and stumbling towards the stairs. 

They both end up sitting at the end of some decking in the docks with their feet dangling. Boats are parked in their spaces bobbing gently in the water. It's quieter here, sirens echo through and the occasional horn but Dean is just listening to the sound of water hitting the boats and Cas breathing.  
"Don't you love the sky?" Cas asks suddenly breaking the silence. He looks over to see Cas looking up with a smile. Dean snorts and looks up too taking in the stars that map the sky.  
"Ain't that bad" Dean says "why?" Cas shrugs next to him and then pulls Dean down till they're both lying on the planks staring up at the clear night.  
"It's just...nice" Cas says. Dean chuckles  
"You been smoking weed when I turn my back or something?" Dean asks with a grin.  
"Mmm...shut up" Cas mumbles putting his hands behind his head after loosening his bow tie. Dean snorts again but does the same thing and looks up, concentrating on a flickering speck. Suddenly his drunk mind reminds him of his dream he had, now he can feel the other mans warm skin where their shoulders make contact and their feet occasionally knocking.  
"I had a dream like this" He says before he could stop himself. He feels Cas' eyes on him. "We were watching the stars together and you talked about 'em" Dean says with a happy grin. He watches as Cas leans on his elbow looking down at him. A part of him has alarm bells going off but the rest is blurry and clouded.  
"Oh yeah?" Cas asks. Dean can only hear that deep gravely voice as he'd shut his eyes.  
"Mhm" Deans says with a light nod.  
"What else happened?" Cas asks. Dean hesitates, some part of his brain still wide awake and screaming for him to shut the fuck up.  
"I was...leaning against you...and you-" he hiccups and giggles. Suddenly he feels a breath of warm air against his face and the thick smell of alcohol. He doesn't open his eyes though, the warmth of the other body bliss against his skin.  
"And I what Dean?" Cas asks, his face defiantly hovering over his. Dean parts his lips slightly and lets out a huff of air then starts to grin.  
"And you nibbled at my neck and gave me little marks" Dean says with a look of bliss which could be heard through his voice as he looked back at it.  
"Like this?" Cas asks and then he feels soft chapped lips against his pulse point and the tip of a his tongue. Cas sloppily nips at his neck with heavy breaths. Dean hums at the sensation, the feel of the other man sending tingles down his spine. Dean moves his head giving more access which Cas happily agrees to and sucks up the column of his neck leaving a trail of saliva. It should be gross but he feels himself hardening in his slacks at the thought and feel of the other mans drool up his neck.  
"Dreamed about you too" Cas mumbles into his skin. Dean hums and waits for him to carry on. Cas gets distracted by kissing behind Deans ear making the other man hum in pleasure at the sensitive spot. He hears Cas chuckle and feels Cas untuck his shirt then sliding his hand up Deans stomach, gripping slightly at the small chub on his stomach.  
"So cute" Cas says though a smile. Dean's about to argue but the Cas begins to play with his left nipple, pinching and twisting it slightly. Dean lets out an involuntary moan arching his back from the touch.  
"So responsive" Cas says grinning and kisses him again, soaking up every moan Dean makes as he teases him. They're both rock hard in their pants which Dean found out about when Cas rocked against him, their cocks pulsing at the touch through the layers. Suddenly they hear talking and Cas sits up. Dean remembers now that they're in public grinding against each other.  
"Lets take this somewhere warmer" Dean says trying to pull himself from under Cas.  
They stumble back to the hotel giggling when they try to hide their hard on. They got a cab which took a while as Dean couldn't tell him where to go when Cas was kissing the back of his neck. They make it with a bored look from the cab driver, they're probably not the only couple who's almost had sex in the back of the car. Cas throws some notes into the car and they stumble in. Dean gets the key and they trip a couple of times as they go up the stairs.  
Cas turns the light on and starts to strip out of everything until he's naked as the day he was born and falls onto the bed with his magnificent ass on display. Dean grins and strips too then drapes himself over Cas giggling when he leaves a wet line on the other mans ass with pre cum. Cas grumbles and Dean kisses the back of his neck and then each shoulder blade leaving a mark here and there. He slips his cock between the other mans ass cheeks and grinds down. They groan when his tip teases his rim, pre cum making it easier. He sits up and flips Cas around looking into the mans lust blown eyes, the stunning blue just a ring. He's panting kiss swollen lips parted and wet. Dean groans and leans down to kiss him, wet and sloppy. Dean grinds down both of them moaning against each other as their cocks slide together. Dean reaches down and grips both cocks in his hand and begins to stroak. Cas grips his shoulders, nails biting into skin. He begins to speed up twisting and fucking into his own fist, Cas doing the same the sensation like electricity. Cas groans gripping harder causing some pain which makes Dean grunt in pleasure as he speeds up chasing after the good feeling. The familiar warmth is appearing, swimming around making him pant. Cas seems close too, with small noises and his arousal throbbing in Deans hand.  
"Cas" Dean says "come with me, come...god-so fucking close" Dean says through gritted teeth as the pressure rises. Cas lets out a high whine and his back arches. His throat glistening with sweat and drool, mouth open wider in ecstasy. Dean feels cum hit him and that's enough. Dean drops his head onto the other mans shoulder and bucks into his own hand his vision whiting out a as he jerks and comes across both of them. He sighs and flops down on the other man not caring for the wet mess between them. Cas relaxes underneath him and Dean takes his hand away and grimaces at the cum on his hand. Cas grabs at his hand and begins to lick and suck. If Dean was a teenager he'd probably be getting hard again but all he can do is watch as Cas sucks on each finger licking both their release off.  
"God fucking damn" Dean mumbles. Cas looks up at him with big eyes, fluttering his lashes. He can feel his cock make a weak attempt at rising. Dean groans.  
"No fair" He says. Cas grins and leans up kissing him, the taste of cum still on his tongue the whole thing gross but so damn hot. Cas shoves him off and crawls into the covers patting the space beside him. Dean follows and curls up with Cas so his his head is above and Cas snuggles under his chin soft almost ebony locks tickling his chin. Cas stokes Deans shoulder where crescent shaped marks are red and deep in his skin. Dean pulls Cas closer, wrapping him up despite the drying cum on both of them. Dean slowly starts to sleep Cas seems the same, his breath evening out the fuzziness of alcohol and an orgasm making them fall easily into a good sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. It was Christmas then New Years and then a shit tone of writers block. Hope you enjoyed and sorry for mistakes! Also sorry for a shit smut scene XD


	13. Chapter thirteen

Dean wakes up with a start by the screeching of his alarm. He groans, he'd had a good dream, it was with Cas of course, they were lying in this bed again just endlessly making out, Cas marking his body and smoothing his slightly calloused palms over his body. Dean was surprised he's not had a sex dream yet, they usally come first and maybe the odd cute dream with someone like Cassie all those years ago. He decided to ignore the meaning of that and focused on his agonising headache.  
"Jesus" Dean says rubbing his hand against his forehead. He felt nauseous and his joints were stiff. He sat up and felt a body roll off him which he hadn't even noticed. The alarm was still going so he fiddled with it until as well as the light so he could see. It stopped and he could hear himself think finally. He rose an eyebrow at Cas, he was asleep with his chest up and he also seemed to be naked as far as Dean could tell by noticing Cas' hip bones jutting out. Dean nearly choked on his own air as he noticed the dried substance over his stomach which could only really be one thing. His hair was even more sexed up than usal and his lips, Jesus, were bruised and red. Dean didn't know what the had happened as he looked at the purple bruises that appeared on his still flushed skin making him only slightly (heh) turned on at the pretty hot appearance. His heart started to hammer however when he then noticed himself.  
"Oh sweet Jesus no" Dean says seeing his own set of love bites and dried come. His heart hammered in his chest. This had to be a coincidence, maybe they'd met two hot chicks at some point and ended up in the same bed. He hoped, prayed that this was the truth. He nearly stopped breathing when he heard Cas groan and his eyes flutter open, looking up at him.  
"Dean?" Cas says rubbing his forehead, must have the same problem as Dean. Cas scrunched his brow and slowly sat up. "What happened?" Cas asks, pointing towards the marks on Dean. The man blushed hard in response and tired to reason with himself that they hadn't fucked. If they had then Dean must off topped because his ass is perfectly fine but the come on their stomachs makes no sense.  
"What the hell?" Cas says. Dean looks up and watches as Cas grimaces at whatever's on his stomach. Cas swallows and then gags "uh dude" Cas says.  
"What?" Dean asks.  
"My mouth tastes like cum" Cas says. Dean blushes even more (if that were possible) and fidgets in his spot (also trying to ignore the fact that Cas knows what it tastes like).  
"Uh...Cas" Dean says and clears his throat. Cas looks up as he fiddled with his hair "I think we...I....that might be my come" Dean says. He'd rather not but it's obvious that there's no other explanation for this and memorises are slowly coming back.  
"What?" Cas asks, totally puzzled.  
"I think we...might of....come- I me a done some stuff" Dean says. Memories begin to piece back together, he remembers being drunk, McDonald's, the docks, them kissing, Dean pumping their cocks against each other, Cas licking off all the cum Dean had on his hand, them snuggling up and how Cas' hair tickled his chin. Dean has a look of horror on his face and Cas eventually reaches the same point and they sit in dead silence. All can be heard is the already busy street outside and the dark night flooding the room, fighting with the dim light Dean had put on earlier. Cas looked at him and Dean looked back. They both looked like they were about to cry and a deep flush flooded their faces.  
"Shit" Cas says and starts to yank at his hair as he seems to fight himself mentally.  
"Cas" Dean says, he honestly didn't know how to react, if Cas was going to shut him out, if he'd make it out of this situation alive. "I'm sorry...I-"  
"No...we were both drunk ok? Don't blame yourself" Cas says quickly looking him in the eyes. Dean doesn't know what to think, he can hear his heart in his ears, hands clenched the white sheets and he feels his bottom lip wobble. God he such a fuckign wimp. His dad was fucking right, ' _queer boys are weak Dean_ ' John echos in his head and he just wants to jump right out the window.  
"Please" Dean says in a high voicethat he hates to admit "don't shut me out...not-not like last time...I can't" Dean swallows around the lump in throat, it stings and he feels his eyes welling up. God what is happening? The emotions flood through that he'd built up over the months and he can't stop it's like trying to stop a dam breaking with freakin band aids.  
"Dean" Cas says with a broken voice. He feels himself being held in strong arms and he can't help but nuzzle into the unscarred muscle and he feels his chest heave.  
"I'm sorry" Dean pleads and feels Cas tightens his arms around him.  
"Oh Dean" Cas says into his neck "I'm at fault too ok?" Cas says. Dean feels a tear slide down his own cheek and he wants to gouge his eyes out, to stop crying like the little gay boy he always was.  
They eventually break the hug but Cas stays close, stroking down his arm and wipes a tear with his other hand. He leans into the hand as it begins to stroke his hair, combing through the short spikes.  
"Dean look at me" Cas says. Dean looks up ashamed of himself for so many reasons. "This shouldn't of happened...I don't know what to...." Cas bites his lip, struggling with his words. Dean glares and yanks away from Cas.  
"I get it" Dean says, his tears still threaten to fall but he ignores that "you can't, you lost your soulmate so you flirt and play around with other people until they try something and then you pull away to say some stupid shit because your hearts broken" Dean snaps, jabbing Cas in the rib which is still tender causing Cas to flinch. Dean feels a pang of guilt but he's tired and he's dirty. He gets up and quickly gets on some clothes so he can shower in someone else's bathroom.  
"Dean please" Cas says, his voice wobbling. Dean gives a glance as Cas holds a sheet to his body with a pleading look. Dean just glares and storms out of the room ignoring the tears that start to fall from his own eyes and the one he sees fall down Cas'. 

He eats at the hotel with Charlie who had seen him come in with red puffy eyes and love bites marking his neck. Even if it was stupid Dean had tried to scrub at them, to forget that Cas had put his mouth on him, nipped him and shoved his tongue down his throat. Dean played with his food and Charlie squirts brown sauce on her food. Charlie hadn't asked about it yet, she knew Dean well enough to know Dean needed time with his head free for a while. Jo was still asleep and Meg had gone to get ready for the long drive back to Kansas.  
"I'm gunna miss the hotel" Charlie says as she cuts into a sausage. Dean hums in reply as he watches the pancakes absorb the syrup.  
"Cas likes these" Dean says without thinking, remembering every time Cas had gotten blueberry pancakes. Charlie chews on her food and swallows.  
"Really?" Charlie asks. Dean nods and drops his fork "Dean" Charlie says with annoyance. Dean continues to stare at his food slowly going cold. Charlie huffs smacks her fork down hard enough to jolt him out of his daze. "Tell me what the fuck happened" Charlie demands with a cold glare. Dean bites the inside of his cheek.  
"We..." Dean doesn't finish, not knowing how to.  
"What? You fucked? Played monopoly?" Charlie asks, her food forgotten too.  
"We didn't fuck exactly...other stuff" Dean says quietly. Charlie nods and rolls her hand for him to continues "we were drunk ok? We didn't know what had done until now and I sort of...cried" Dean says, embarrassment floods his cheeks once again and he feels like just ending it all now.  
"Oh Dean" Charlie says putting her hand over Dean's clenched fist "what'd he say?" Charlie asks with a reassuring grip.  
"I kinda got angry" Dean mumbles. Charlie sighs "he's the one that said it shouldn't of happened" Dean snapped taking his hand back "he needs to quit playing around" Dean says, his voice raising tears threatening to fall once more.  
"Dean calm down,its alright" Charlie says. Dean stands up, he couldn't bare seeing those damn pancakes again and he doesn't want to see the look of pity Charlie gives him, he doesn't need it. Dean puts some cash on the table and walk away planning to get ready for the ride by quickly putting his stuff away.  
He notices the door to their room open just a but and the sound of talking coming from inside. He walks up peaking through and seeing Meg and Cas sitting on the edge of the bed. Dean feels bile in his throat as he sees Cas crying, his head on her shoulder, body jerking with every heave. Meg shushes him as she strokes her hand through his hair.  
"I di-didn't mean to I just can't and I am so stupid, I'm always fucking up" Cas says.  
"That's not true ok? Dean's just upset, and one thing you need to know is when he's really upset he'll get angry" Meg says.  
_I do not_  
Ok so maybe he kinda does but it's better than bawling his eyes out like a baby and then clinging to another's man for gods sake.  
"He's not gunna want to talk to me" Cas says blubbering. Dean feels the familer pang of guilt but hell no is he letting Cas see him cry again. Dean then decides to head out to look at the city for the last time. 

 

******************

There cars/vans were now parked in the front of the hotel ready to go. Dean rubbed his hands together half from the cold morning as the sun was yet to rise and frost still sparkled up lamp posts but also that he got to drive his baby again, his car wasn't necessary for always as a parking wasn't always available and a taxi was just easier so no chance to drive his beloved car.  
He walks over to his car with a smile and pats her roof gaining a weird look from a women walking past.  
"Yo Dean" He hears Charlie shouting. He turns when she walks over with her bags held.  
"Hey Charles" Dean says when she reaches him. Charlie rolls her eyes  
"You gotta stop calling me that" Charlie says with a pout. Dean chuckles and ruffles her hair. She curses under her breath and puts down her bags to correct her fiery, now messy, red hair.  
"Exited to drive your car I see?" Charlie says picking up he bags apart from the two Dean picked up for her.  
"Most definitely" Dean says looking back at his baby.  
"Lucky I'm stuck with the British jerks in a dodgy black van" Charlie says rolling her eyes. Dean smirks and hen his eye sees light up with an idea.  
"You don't have to" Dean says smirking. Charlie frowns and slowly realisation creeps onto her face making her glare.  
"If your saying to kick Cas out of the car then hell no" Charlie says.  
"Oh come on" Dean says "it's going to be so awkward when he gets here, hours stuck in a car together? fuck no" Dean says. Charlie looks unconvinced "more awkward than that time you saw me in panties" he whispers harshly. Charlie snorts at the memory then looks away.  
"I don't know" she mumbles. Dean starts to put her luggage in the back seat.  
"Just come on" Dean says and takes the bags from her reluctant hands. 

Cas comes out with Meg and the British dicks behind. He's cleared up like the night before never happened, hair combed, clean shirt and tie hiding any sign of love bites. Dean sighs at the sight of him, still so god damn hot that it's torture not to enjoy it. Meg pats Cas' shoulder and then heads to Jo's truck. Cas hesites for a second before walking over.  
"Come on we haven't got all day" Mr Ketch says directed at Charlie who is giving Cas a strained smile.  
"Actually I'm going with Dean" She says. Cas tenses slightly but only if you were looking closely would you notice, just like Dean was. "I'm so-" Charlie rushes to say.  
"It's fine, really" Cas interrupts with a nod. Charlie bites her lip and nods. Dean tires to catch Cas' eye but he quickly moves over to the van a few cars over. Charlie walks to her door and gets in silently leaving a guilty Dean.  
Once he's in the car he watches as Charlie makes patterns with the condensation on the windows knowing fully well Dean hates it because the marks stay on afterwards, condensation or not. He starts the car ignoring her silence as he waits till he can drive out of his spot.  
"You need to sort your shit out Dean" Charlie says. Dean nods and drives out of his spot. She's right, he really needs to sort this out beacause it's not like he can ignore Cas forever or whatever he's trying to do right now. They're just going round round in a circle and it really needs to stop...but how the hell is he going to do that?

Hours into the drive Charlie comes round again so they talk and talk and talk until eventually they're on the subject of Cas.  
"So how are you going to make it up to him?" Charlie asks as they head into Richmond for food.  
"Got no idea" Dean replies.  
"What does he like? Maybe you should get him something for a hobby or whatever" Charlie says.  
"I doubt it's the best apology but it's a start" Dean says as he spots a small diner with yellow painted brick on the corner of the street. He thinks over what he could do, food isn't always the best option he's figured out but he doesn't know that much about Cas but then remembers something.  
"Bees" Dean says as he parks carefully in a spot besides the diner.  
"Bees?" Charlie repeats.  
"Yeah he loves bees" Dean says and shuts off the engine.  
"What do you plan on doing then?" Charlie asks as they step out into the cold weather.  
"Dunno, maybe find a place that keeps bees or some crap like that" Dean says as the walk round the corner. The sky is full of grey clouds dappled light to dark where the sun peeks and hides. The wind is icy against his skin and he wishes spring would hurry its ass up.  
"Oh Garth has bees!" Charlie says eagerly as she steps into the diner.  
"Why am I not surprised" Dean mumbles as he is hit with a wave of warmth from the small diner, it's nothing special with just some benches with dark wood boreds behind. The lights are hung low in slim silver domes letting out a toasty dim light. It's a bit modern for a diner but the strong smell of coffee and fresh baked goods tempts into ignoring the decor.  
They takes a seat opposite each other, Charlie faces the window and Dean has his back to it so a slight shadow is on his worth of the table.  
"So what exactly would Garth do?" Dean asks as he picks up the menu to see if they have pie.  
"Well he could show him how they make it, maybe give him a jar" Charlie says with a shrug as she look through a small yellow menu too. "I know he makes some for the church for charity sales and so on so he's probably happy to give Cas a jar"  
"Isn't there a certain season for collecting honey?" Dean asks as recalls the conversation he'd had with Cas about bees.  
"I don't know...but how do you?" Charlie asks placing her menu back in the holder between them. Dean feels his face heat up and tries to glare over at Charlie but it doesn't seem to be working.  
"Hello what can I get you today" a women says suddenly. Dean lets out a sigh from their conversation being interrupted and looked up at the waitress who has a yellow apron just wrapped around her waist with pocket on the front. She's got dark chocolate hair and almost pale blue eyes which reminds him of one of the colours in Cas wide array of blues he has. A feeling bursts through his heart, warm and fuzzy making the tips of his fingers and toes tingle with an unknown feeling.  
"I'll have a Cappuccino and a slice of your double chocolate cake please" Charlie says with greedy eyes, probably about the cake. Dean tires to clear his head as the waitress turns to him with a smile.  
"Espresso and cherry pie please sweetheart" Dean says with a charming smile. The lady blushes and scribbles it down.  
"I'll be back with your orders" she says with the swing of her hips as she leaves. Seriously, he doesn't even need to try and they're putty in his hands.  
"Careful, if you wanna fit through that door when you leave you should stop that getting to your ego" Charlie says with the rolls of her eyes. Dean glares back but she just smiles.  
"So back to your gay crisis" Charlie says. Dean groans  
"It's not a gay crisis" Deans snaps and hates that his cheeks betray him.  
"So how did you get talking about bees with him anyway?" Charlie asks. Dean fiddles with an empty sugar wrapped he'd found on the table instead of Charlie's teasing eyes.  
"It's not important" Dean mumbles as he rips at the paper subconsciously.  
"We both know that's bull crap" Charlie says sternly. Dean sighs, might as well give up now because Charlie never backs down when she wants to know something.  
"I don't know, it was just a trip to North Dakota or somethin' and uh...it just came up I guess. Cas started saying that he liked bees and how they're so important to our survival on this planet, he likes their little lives and he especially likes when you can see the pollen or whatever on their legs during the spring...his favourite are the big fluffy ones because they fly slightly slower and make a lot of noise, more than the other you know? So I just thought maybe he did like to see them more cuz I've been with him a lot so I know he doesn't get to watch them especially because of the winter and all that which is why I know because Cas told me that they never came out when it was cold..." He looks over at Charlie who has a mouth open and eyes the size of saucers. He blushes deep, deeper than he's ever blushed before and Dean freakin' Winchester does not blush god dammit.  
Cake and pie are placed down in front of them, then the coffees by the oblivious waiter who seems to be eyeing Dean as far as he can tell.  
"Uh-thank-thank you" Dean stutters out to her but she doesn't notice him tumble over his words but justs puts a spray lock of hair behind her ear which dammit reminds of Cas because they have the same eye colour and the end of her long strands of hair curls slightly which reminds him of how Cas has slightly bigger curls behind his ears and some on his big mess of hair which Dean just wants to grab and stroke-  
Dean stares down at his warm pie  
Trying to regain his composure  
The lady takes the staring as flirting but Dean couldn't care less if he was leading a poor women on or not because if he gets any redder or his heart beats any faster, he might just die. The woman leaves after that, slightly disappointed by no smile from Dean.  
"That was..." Charlie says she blows her coffee so it would cool "a pretty affectionate speech you just gave there" She says with her eyebrows raised "never heard you talk like that before" She mumbles as takes off a slice of cake with her fork, desperation for her sweet looking cake gone but not comepletly. Dean just sips on his coffee despite it burning his tongue because then at least one part of him would be numb besides his muscles tensed with what feel like electricity and a full body heat coursing through his veins tingling and pulsing like it'll seep out of his pours like his emotions are thrying to do, hammering at his skull. He bites his lip as he feels his tongue go numb from heat with a just a slight tingle.  
"This cake is good" Charlie says putting another forkful into her mouth leaving dark crumbs on the corners of her mouth which makes him smile slightly.  
"Looks like it" He picks up his fork despite his belly that had done a few somersaults which made him slightly nauseous through the past hour. He hums pleasantly at the sugary sweetness that set his not-so numb tastebuds alight.  
"This is good too" He says and then takes a sip of his coffee which and thankfully cooled down a bit. 

On the hours back Charlie gave him Garths's phone number and said he must be able to make something during the now disappearing winter. She also advised maybe to not snap at Cas so often, it's not his fault the whole things such a mess and it's not even gone a year since Baltherzar had died. Dean felt slightly more positive as the sun started to fall and they got closer to Kansas. 

******************

After dropping off Charlie at her place and almost five minutes of telling Charlie he doesn't need to crash on her couch, he was tired but he'd be fine.  
His apartment was more a house, well the top floor more like. Most of the walls were knocked down for a spacious look besides the bathroom, his bed was at the back and on the opposite side at the bay windows was where a table and a couple of chairs were . He liked it there because of the lighting which he'd never admit , the first thing you saw whilst walking in was the kitchen on the other wall it was nothing special and facing the wall with the door was the TV and a worn red couch. He likes it, peeling wall paper and all so whenever he's there he likes to appreciate it.  
He parks outside, the daylight long gone with the midnight sky taking over. The street is silent besides the sound of traffic near he main roads and within the centre for the city. He walks up the porch and silently makes his way through the front door and up the stairs whilst avoiding the creaks so his supposed neighbour doesn't hear, he'd never seen the person besides maybe the occasional clatter of plates or footsteps which made him slightly weary of his creepily silent neighbour.  
His apartment is cold due to its lack of use so he heads to the box where he can turn on the heating so he can still sleep soundly. His stomach growls so he strips off his jacket and heads to the kitchen to search for food. There's nothing of course, well not much besides some tagliatelle, oil, eggs, butter, milk and a tomato sauce that's probably a few days off its best. He shrugs and starts to put it together as the light above flickers and the heater brings the place back to life.  
After a while he's sat with a steaming bowl of pasta at his slightly wobbly table at the window. The pasta sauce wasn't the best but he was a hungry and decided after work, if he could, he'd try and get some groceries. That was added to his mental check list just like talking to Cas about the bees Garth and and then he needs to make an almost small speech apologising him for always fucking shit up. He hopes Cas accepts it.  
After dumping his bowl into his sink and turning out the lights he slowly starts to strip towards the bed until he's just in boxers. Too tired to find a shirt to put on he falls onto his bed making it creak like it does with any slight movement. A reason he doesn't bring girls or guys around because it'll be mighty awkward with all that creaking.  
Dean snuggles into his cold unused sheets that were soft. He sighed into the pillow and let his heavy eyelids slide shut so he can get some hopefully pleasant sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at the time thing am I? Sorry this took so long. I had planned for this to be longer but knew that would take a month more or something because somehow I procrastinate over things I like to do. I hope people are still reading as being so late to post is probably not a good idea for a quite badly written fic like this.  
> Sooo, hope you enjoyed it sorry for mistakes :))


	14. Chapter fourteen

His eyes snap open but it wasn't because of a nightmare more of just his mind waking up. He groans however and buries his face under the covers, the warmth hugging him pleasantly. Just as he was about to drift off he remembers it was still half way through the week.  
"Shit" Dean says, fully awake and sat up. He forgot to set an alarm last night in his sleep starved state. Luckily it still seems pretty early, the sun hasn't yet met the sky so the moon casts in a pale blue light.  
He reluctantly gets out of his warm cocoon of sheets and instantly regrets it, the cold pricks and pokes at his bare skin as well as passing up through his feet. Dean shivers and tip toes over to the closet where his sleeping gown is hung up.  
After getting ready for his day the sun is peaking up from behind the reviving trees which mean he should really get a move on. Dean checks his watch which reads _7:45_. He hasn't got long so he rushes out of the door, locking it hastily.  
The air outside is still cold, his breath is visable in front of him and the fresh air bites at his skin. The street is quiet apart from a man a few houses away warming up his car. Unfortunately his car is also iced over which make him grumble, he needs to get a tarp for next winter. 

Getting the frost off his car also means he makes it into work minutes before he would be late. The lady at the desk he knows as Rachel smirks, she's seen him come in panting and red faced many times.  
Everything's rather quiet when he steps onto his floor the only sound is the tap of key on computers and the occasional conversation as he passes. It's strange but his stomach grumbles for missing out on breakfast so he heads to the break room.  
He doesn't like the break room, it's old and it smells of used teabags and some foul smell which must be coming from the fridge. The counters are a dull grey with the occasional coffee ring. There's a vending machine in the corner which he heads over to and picks out a packet of chips and a chocolate bar. He then heads and gets a coffee to wake him up officially.

When he gets to his desk he finds a folder set down and a bright pink post-it-note on the stack of unfinished case files.  
_all must be finished by the end of the day. Lady Toni Bevell_  
Dean groans and puts his coffee down to take off his coat. There's a lot files that need to be filled in and Dean would rather not this early in the morning. Dean takes a gulp of his warm coffee and gets into it. The one placed in the centre of his desk is form the lacklustre mission where he spent half his time in cleaning closet. But he gets his pen anyway.

 

*******************

He's about half way through his case files and gone through the burger he'd gotten at the fast food place a few blocks down when he sees him  
Castiel  
He's as handsome as ever, hair neatly in place, only a slight stubble across his jaw and his suit is a swell done as ever. Dean gulps and try's not to focus on his plush pink lips.  
_dammit_  
His eyes are still so blue, ocean deep and heavinly but bags are under them and there's a few sad lines appearing near his eyes. Dean tries not to think about that.  
Without thinking, Dean stands up and steps in front of Castiel who was walking down the aisle between the rows of desks.  
Castiel bumps into him and Dean flinches slightly, hoping he hasn't already screwed this up. His face is neutral when he looks up at Dean but a sadness is held in his ocean blues and Dean clenches his jaw.  
"Yes Dean?" Castiel asks. Dean now notices he was was just staring down at Castiel for a minute like a total creep.  
"Listen...I wanted to say that I'm sorry" Dean says, playing with his blunt nails.  
"And here we are again" Castiel says in his deep gravely voice. Dean looks down and clears his throat.  
"I know" Dean mumbles and looks up "I know ok? I keep fucking up and we're just going round in circles-" he takes a breath and looks around. He sees a woman opposite his desk snap her eyes down, blonde hair hiding her face.  
"Can we go somewhere a little more private...please?" Dean asks with pleading eyes. Castiel looks back with a glare but he looks into his eyes and he seems to soften.  
"Fine" Castiel mumbles.  
Funnily enough they end up in a cleaning cupboard, it's not cramped but it's not that wide especially for two grown men. Castiel turns on the light, the dim orange cast down on them and Castiel looks stunning, shadows falling and rising across his face on bone and dips in his face his naturally tanned skin darker in the light.  
Dean looks around once again  
"So..." Dean says, rubbing the back of his neck  
"So..." Castiel mumbles  
"That night I shouldn't of blown up at you like that...I don't know what came over me" Dean mumbles the last part. He does know what did...sadness, selfishness...loneliness. It was like a dam had broken in his mind and all it took was a few words from Cas and some jerking off to crack it in half. He couldn't hold it back and it was by far one of the stupidest things he'd done. Why was he so weak?  
"Maybe it wasn't the best reaction but...I haven't made it easy for you, all this denial and reluctance it's-its because I'm scared..." Castiel's eyes are wide, composure gone. It's quite for a bit, Deans mouth is open in suprise and confusion. Castiel looks up and looks dead in his eyes.  
"I'm scared I'll lose you and I know it sounds stupid because I barely know you but if it gets any further then...then it might happen again and I can't-won't go through that again..." Castiel is breathing heavily, he'd pulled at his hair a bit through the rant making strands stand up. It still looks cute even when both of them seem to be falling apart.  
"...Baltherzar" Dean mumbles, voice crack and why is he even getting emotional? Maybe beside the man in front of him seems to be just like him....lover or not, Dean is just as scared. Castiel bites his lips and turns half away from him.  
"I loved him..." Castiel mumbles, voice cracked. Dean bites the inside of his cheek looking down. "I knew I shouldn't of...you know? We both worked here and it was as unprofessional as it was dangerous yet we let it happen anyway and it may have been good-amazing even but...I saw him die Dean" Castiel says and looks over at him, eyes shining. Dean just freezes up, not knowing how he should reply but it turns out he doesn't have to "and it was my fault, we were on a case, vamps, and we knew we shouldn't have gone in, there was too much of them but I said-insisted, that we go in that this this entire trip would've been a waste of time and he agreed...he was taken and later on I found him, beaten and bloody just- staring up..." Castiel breaks off taking a breath. Dean doesn't say anything but slowly he places a hand on Cas' shoulder which stiffens up under his touch but after a few seconds Castiel leans in slightly and Dean rubs ever so carefully. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this...should've been letting your sorry ass beg for my forgiveness" Castiel says witha snort and smile and Dean give a small one back "but you don't need my forgiveness, you need an explanation because we need to be on the same page" Castiel says turning but making sure Dean's hand stays close which makes Dean's heart melt a little.  
"You don't owe me anything Cas" Dean replies with a slight grip. Castiel shakes his head  
"No I want to, you should know" Castiel says and loosens his tie which Dean begs his dick not to pick up on. Dean let his arm relax, muscles burning up. But he does stay close in case Cas needs him. And maybe for himself too.  
"I remember every minute of that day, where it was and what road in what tiny village...I remember holding him, his skin wet with sweat and blood but he was cooling down, his eyes glazed over and I held his hand as he...just bleeding out and I knew I couldn't do anything, his stomach was busted open and his shirt was dipping sticking to...I kept saying sorry but he just smiled and then...he went" Silence rapidly filled the gap Cas had left. Dean didn't know what to say or do. How could he say he was sorry? That wouldn't cover something so big besides he remembers losing his mom, his dad, even Sam once. Dean remembers Sam's lifeless body sprawled out on a stained mattress, he remembers his dad already battered and beaten, sprawled across the floor like a dropped puppet...he remembers his moms dead eyes. Dean hated when people showed pity, said 'I'm so sorry' or 'they're in a better place'.  
"I don't know what to say but if anything, I know part of what you're going through my parents died when I was young, my brother even died once and I love them all even if they had their moments...so I'm not gunna spew som crap about them being with the he angels or some shit but you're not alone in this, you've got Meg, Charlie even...and me, I'll always be here even if it's not in that way" Dean says and he holds both of Cas' shoulder making Cas look up at him with watery eyes "now come on, we need a drink" Dean says heading to the door" Castiel gives him a confused/shocked look.  
"It's just past twelve" Castiel says checking his watch letting a small smile slip past. Dean gently touches his elbow and guides him out.  
"I don't care if it's five in the morning, we need a damn drink" Dean guides Cas to his desk and Castile frowns, Dean just smiles and finds the key to unlock a small draw. Dean takes out a bottle of unopened jack Daniels and two clean glasses. Cas stares at him shocked.  
"You're not aloud that here" Castiel says shocked. Dean can't help but grin  
"That's why the draw is locked, now" he places the bottle of Jack under his jacket and passes the glasses to Cas.  
They end up hiding in an unused office, cautious when someone passes the door. They're are sat on a dusty love seat, the drinks sitting on the glass table in front of them.  
"I'm glad we're talking Cas, it sounds girly as fuck but you know" Dean says, leaning his arm with the glass on the back.  
"That's because you are a girl" Castiel says with smile and Dean snorts.  
"Asshole" Dean retorts bumping his foot into then other mans shin lightly.  
"I do agree though, I'm glad I told you" Castiel says and finishes his drink "but this doesn't change everything...I know it's what I always say, but now you know why" Castiel says and places his glass down on the table. Dean watches the glass be placed down and looks up at Cas. He can't help but feel his stomach swirl with sadness but he smiles anyway. He'd never push Cas and who is Dean to rush? He's the worst for anything more than sex in a relationship, he doesn't exactly know why but it's like it's buried in his bones and sealed within his mind. He hasn't really had the time to think about how he felt about all this, Castiel's troubling dead relationship and all the cases that have been going on he'd never had time to think it over. Cas is right, what if one of the, died even if they weren't together and Cas died he'd be broken. If they got caught that could threaten their jobs and what if it just didn't work out? God that would be awkward. Dean hits back the rest and puts the glass down.  
Maybe Cas is right  
"No I get it, it's fine" Dean says. Castiel smiles and looks around for a second before going towards and gently pressing his lips to Dean's cheek. Castiel leans back and searchers his eyes, angst written across his face. Dean grins  
"I'll never wash this cheek again" Dean says places his fingers on the kissed cheek and flutters his lashes. Cas punches his arm with grin  
"Screw you Winchester" Castiel says and stands up so Dean follows. Dean gives him a cheeky grin like always and Cas rolls his eyes but his cheeks are faintly red "I should go, those British assholes gave me a crap town of work" Castiel says flattening his hair. God Dean thought he was talking to a mirror for a second.  
"Same here, I'll leave the rest of this for another time huh?" Dean says with a wink and screws the lid back on. Cas fakes shock  
"I'm not that kinda girl" Cas says, voice raising a bit. It's silent and they burst into laughter. Deans full on shaking with laughter and Cas is joining in, much to the pleasure of Dean. Once they calm down Dean wipes a tear away and pats Cas on the shoulder  
"Man I haven't laughed like that in years" Dean says with a grin. Cas smiles back and blushes harder  
"Glad you enjoyed my humour Dean" Castiel says. Dean smiles back, savouring the sweet small smile Cas gives back, face flushed and hair a mess. 

Dean wishes he could kiss him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! It's quite short but I think I should keep it like this. I might have a Cas POV at some point, it would probably be easier to show his past that way but I'll see. I hope everyone enjoyed it!!


	15. Chapter fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of rape and it's talked about clinically. Just incase that's a trigger of anything.

The rest of the day went on with not much excitement, Dean wrote and wrote with the occasional coffee break. Charlie came round at one point and asked him about Castiel which Dean couldn't help but tell her everything was cool with a small smile. She also reminded him to go talk to Garth about the bee thing, she still thinks it's a good idea.  
Garth is sat eating a yogurt at his desk when Dean walks over. He has no idea why he's nervous, maybe he's just embarrassed because this is the last place he'd be expected to be was asking about bees.  
"Uh hey Garth" Dean mumbles. Garth looks up and smiles  
"Heya Dean" Garth puts down his pot and sits up "how are you?" He asks.  
"Uh yeah-I'm good, I just came over to ask you about something" Dean says. Garth turns his chair so he's facing him completly  
"Oh what about?" Garth asks. Dean blushes  
"Well I heard you keep bees and I kinda needed to make it up to a Cas who likes bees so..." Dean blurts out. Garth looks a little startled at first but a big smile spreads across his face  
"You think he'd like to see my bees?" Dean shrugs  
"I think he might, haven't asked him yet" Dean says with a nod.  
"Well if he does then yeah sure, the bees have stored up a lot of honey for winter and it's still quite cold but we can figure something out" Garth says with a kind smile.  
"Ok well thank you, I'll get back to you on in it" Dean says and slowly backs away. Garth smiles and nods with a wave.

 

Dean picks out frozen meals and puts them into his basket. He hums a random tune and walks round to get some milk. Just as he puts in his milk he hears a familer deep voice, sending shivers down his spine. At first he just stands there but the voice is getting closer and he couldn't be mistaken, not a voice like that. Dean Winchester being the brave federal agent he is, hides behind a rack of herbs.  
And god he feels his soul leaving his body  
Castiel is not in a suit but a pair of tight jeans and blue plaid shirt with black strips. Dean bites his lip. Meg is with him and she's got her trademark smirk upon her face. They stop in front of some cheeses.  
"I think you two are cute as a matter of fact" Meg says with a high voice.  
"You. Think it's cute" Castiel says with confusion but also amusement.  
"Yeah you two should so get married, get a dog an everything I'll even take you down the aisle" she says and gets a light punch to the arm from Cas.  
"Stop talking before I make a scene" Castiel says.  
"You would either way you drama queen" Dean snorts by accident and butts his elbow into the rack making herbs fall with a light thump. Dean starts to pray that they didn't notice but because god is a bitch both of them look over. Dean turns around and places his fingers to his mouth, eyes filled with panic. In a split second he'd grabbed a zucchini and Half fell and walked out from behind the rack. Acting like he hadn't seen them or eaves dropped the fuck out of their conversation he looks up with fake astonishment.  
"Oh hey, fancy seeing you here" Dean says with a grin which is hurting his cheeks. Castiel frowns and cocks his head.  
_god dammit you're a grown man how are you that cute_  
"Dean?" Castiel says.  
"No it's princess peach" he says suddenly and then feels like a fucking idiot. Why, why _why_ did he just say that.  
"Who?" Castiel asks and Dean just stares in shock  
"What how do you not- actually don't worry" Dean says, cheeks heating.  
"Nice Zucchini" Meg says with a smirk. Dean looks down at the vegetable with confusion until he remembers why he'd picked it up.  
"Oh-yeah, love me some zucchini" Dean says with a chuckle "uhh" Dean mumbles and looks down  
"I need to go get some peanuts" Meg says and starts to slip away. Castiel gives her pleading eyes but she just winks and turns the corner. Cas looks back with a blush and slight panic in his beautiful blue eyes.  
"Hey man" Dean says like they haven't been talking for the last minute. What is it with him today?  
"Hello" Castiel mutters. Awkwardness floods the silence besides the stupid store music and the beep of the registers.  
"So you come here often?" Dean asks and he's not sure whether he meant it as a joke or that he's a stupid fucking idiot who can't remember the English language in front of his 'crush'  
Castiel gives him a puzzled look once again and Dean looks around.  
"It's the local store so yes...I do...or was that meant as a flirtation I'm not very good at recognising those" Castiel says, seeming to go into his head for a second.  
"Uh, it wasn't a flirtation?" Dean says with confusion. He doesn't even know what he means himself.  
"What do you plan on doing with that zucchini" Castiel says. Dean looks down at the zucchini in question which he actually feels sorry for because Deans got quite a firm grip on it at the moment.  
"Oh a soup maybe" Dean says. Castiel nods and switches his basket to the other hand.  
"Well I should probably...go" Castiel says and points a thumb back. Deans eyes go wide and he nods fast  
"Oh yeah sure, sorry" Dean says. Castiel starts to turn but then Dean remembers something he should ask, it'll be awkward but dammit Dean needs to prove he's a man.  
"Cas wait" Dean says and Castiel turns around again.  
"Yes?" Cas asks. Dean swallows and wets his lips, deciding to ignore the look Cas gives the action.  
"I still need to make it up to you you know?" Dean says and Castiel tilts his head "remember when you told me you liked bees?" Dean asks. A light pink flush appears across the other mans cheeks and god is he trying to make this difficult for him or what?  
"Yes I think so" Cas says snapping Dean out of his small panic filled day dream.  
"Yeah so I found out Garth has bees and since you liked bees and you mentioned you haven't seen them in a while I thought maybe you could go see?" Dean asks and scratches his head.  
"So this is some sort of field trip" Cas says "take a trip to the park and get some ice cream?" Cas says with an angry scowl.  
_ah shit_  
"No that's not what it's like, I just needed to show I'm sorry this isn't some kid thing or whatever ok?" Dean says. This is why Dean keeps his emotions to himself. Castiel frowns but he's not angry, his shoulders lost their tension.  
"Right" Cas says.  
"If you don't want to then I understand...just" Dean says with a shrug and a pout which he can't deny. His kicks at the floor and he hears Cas sigh  
"It's a very nice gesture Dean" Castiel says and Dean looks up. Cas has a small smile on his face. Dean feels a blushes is to his cheeks  
"Really?" God Dean feels like such a girl right now. Cas chuckles with a wider smile  
"Yes Dean" he says, eyes softening. Dean grins to hide any further embarrassment.  
"That's great man, I'll call Garth and we'll see when ok?" Dean says and Cas nods  
"Yes I'm looking forward to it" Castiel says. Dean gives a lame small wave and begins back away, their eyes locked. He bumps into the rack sending another's load of herbs to the floor.  
"Oh-shit uh bye Cas" Dean says and hears the grumble of a shop worker as she comes to pick up the food. But Dean has his eyes elsewhere. Castiel is so beautiful right now with his wide grin and bright blue eyes. He's such a God damn sap what the hell. Dean almost runs to the tills. 

*******************

The next day Dean felt pretty good, embarrassed maybe but he can live with that. Much better than the heavy weight of guilt and stupidity, it was still there but only in the furthest parts of his mind.  
He had a proper breakfast of bacon and eggs, he got to work on time, his coffee was actually hot and no stack of files was on his desk. This Friday was going pretty well.  
It was even better when he'd passed Cas in a corridor and the exchanged kind, slightly shy, smiles. Dean felt like a teenage girl after that but he was in a good mood so something that stupid didn't bother him.  
It did not last long however  
Their floor was called together for a spontaneous meeting. That British lady with blonde hair stood at the bored, her usual dull pant suit and her hair up. Dean stood next to a bored Charlie who was leaning against a desk eating a tub of Ben and Jerrys. He loved Charlie so much.  
Ketch stood in his clean pressed suit and combed back hair whilst Mick stood in his slightly ruffed look next to him.  
"Glad you could all make it" Toni said fiddling with her clip bored which she seems to always carry around.  
"We've got an announcement" Toni said  
"You got Ketch pregnant" someone said which sounded distinctly like Jo. The room started to laugh much to the men of letters displeasure.  
"We've decided some control was in order" Toni says and hands a big pile of sheets over to a moody Bobby singer "hand these out"  
A disgruntled Bobby passed out sheets to people, looking at the names at the top.  
"Your floor is rather disorderly...so you're all on time tables" Toni said. Dean snorted  
"What are we in high school or something?" Dean says with a smirk  
"Well you certainly act like children" Toni says some how looking down at him from her shorter vantage point. Dean galres at her but Bobby hands him a slip of paper. They already had a schedule ready, maybe people changed things like writing out files to fit them better but they had specific times when they should be working but Bobby never really bothered with schedules as long as they got what needed to be done. This was ridiculous  
Times and jobs were printed in yellow boxes.  
"This is for your own good" Toni says.  
"How will this help" Crowley asks  
"These techniques have been proven to work over in the UK, it's also been approved by your bosses" Toni says. She obviously means the guys over in DC who have never touched a monster in their life yet make the rules. Dean shakes his head and untidily folds it then putting it into his pocket.  
"This is a load of bull" Charlie mumbles "why do I get a time table?" She continues and smacks the paper with the back of her hand.  
"Just wait till I get one of them alone, show em' what techniques are tested and proven to keep people the fuck in line" Dean grumbles angrily. Charlie snorts and puts away hers.

Dean is in an even worse mood when they find out they have to stay back later every day so more work is done. At first Dean didn't know what work but work began to stack up from looking on the vamp case to write in files about different monsters and filling in where lore books have missed out.  
Dean was now on one of his now rare coffee breaks waiting for the coffee to warm with the ancient machinery. Someone walks in and he looks up but freezes when Castiel appears. Dean still feels awkward about their entire situation from jerking both of them off to tripping over his own feet in a store.  
"Hello Dean" Castiel says and Dean notices, once again, that he's just been staring.  
"Hey Cas, how's it goin'" Dean says, thankful he can now pour his coffee.  
"Tired" Castiel says and grabs a mug grimacing at the stained inside.  
"Same here, why another hour Huh?" Dean grumbles. Castiel makes a noise of agreement as he attempts to make the mug cleaner with a wash cloth.  
"They're certainly not trying to be kind that's for sure" Castiel says and pouts his own. Dean hums  
"They better leave soon" Deans says  
"Better get on the case quicker then, Singer says he might have a case for us" Castiel says. Dean is happy yet anxious for this supposed case, he'll be with Cas again which isn't as world ending as it was back in Baltimore but they'll be on on their own.  
"That's cool" Dean says, thoughts racing  
"I'll ask about it now and we can check it out tomorrow...is that ok?" Castiel asks. Dean looks up  
"Yeah sure, better get back to these endless files" Dean says. Castiel gives a small twitch of his lips and looks back at him, their eyes locking again. Will they ever not be that blue? Dean hopes not, they may be intense but Dean can't help but love them.  
_love_  
"Well hope you enjoy" Castiel says with amusement, snapping Dean out of his strange thoughts. Dean feels his ears heat up so he briskly nods  
"Uh-yeah" Dean says trying to force a smile like he remembers that it was a Joke just told and totally not thinking about the mans eyes. Dean drops his gaze to his coffee. 

 

*********************

The next day Dean finds out about the case, its vamps again. A body was found washed up on a lake. It was as the usual, blood pretty much gone and no trace of any vamps as far as they know. What was different however was that Cas told him that the woman found was in fact the woman from the photo way back in Fort Collins. Her name was Linda Peterson and to their suprise had gone missing quite a few years ago. An autopsy report had shown that she'd been raped, she'd been teared and internal wounds were shown, some months old. Dean felt sick. This woman and be knocked up several times and then dumped in a lake when she'd been worn out and dropped dry.  
He'd slaughter all these sons of bitches  
"My guess is that the children born are now vamps, or will become them" Castiel says after a long silence. Dean nods "what I don't know is why we haven't seen this before" Castiel says and rubs his hands through his hair.  
"Lets go find out, see if anything was missed" Dean says grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair.  
"Now?" Castiel asks with a frown. Dean shrugs  
"We can just get food, clothes and we can head out not like it's the longest drive" Dean says and Castiel nods "hate staying in this prison anyway" Dean mumbles as he grabs the file.  
They told Bobby who said they can head out and to stay as safe as possible.  
Turns out Castiel had a little apartment above a pizza place which is how they ended up in Castiel's apartment eating fresh barbecue chicken pizza with a bottle of coke. Cas had a nice place for the rent he was paying, the walls were grey, the TV was box sized and the bed folded out almost knocking the other wall but Castiel added his own little touches. The floor had a fluffy white rug, the sofa was a light blue with a crochet blanket over the top, the curtains were a light blue and although the colours didn't match and the decorations were rather strange it was cozy and well looked after.  
Dean hummed round a slice of pizza drenched in crap cheese sauce.  
"You are blessed with a dominos below you" Dean says and Castiel snorts.  
"I agree" Castiel says, tucking in almost as greedily as Dean which made the other man like the guy just a little more. 

After their food and Cas' stuffed placed in the trunk they head over to Dean's who quickly goes in and shoves in what he needs then rushes back out, wanting the majority of the drive to be when it's still light. Luckily today was a nice day, the sky was clear and the trees looked even greener with sun beaming down on them, hopefully the sun will fall slower. 

The drive up was much more pleasant that most, only four hours and hardly any traffic. It got stuffy in the car so their jackets were off and the windows were almost down. Dean murmerd the words of the song playing, finger tapping the steering wheel. Castiel was looking out the window, his hair a ruffled as the wind attacks it and suddenly Dean felt jelous of the wind, which got to run through his hair, he'd treat it with care unlike the wind. Dean had already seen the man without a top on but the tease of his thick tanned arms was driving Dean silently crazy. This was nice, Dean had thought. The sky above was scattered with clouds which were fluffy and white dusted like a pinky peach like parts of the sky as the sun started to set. Dean wasn't a poetic person so he just thought it looked cool...pretty maybe. God he can hear his mind mocking him.  
Castiel looked much better than the sky through and Dean liked that image better, the man sat shot gun in his baby, hair a mess gazing out the window. Dean felt like heaven was sitting next to him.  
God the heat must be getting to him.

 

It was dark by the time they got into Lincoln, his watch read 10:30. First they'd find a place to stay and then go grab some food.  
They found a motel, the blankets were ugly with a grey back ground and odd patterns of a red colour which matched the curtains. There was an old microwave as well as two tables put together and a dresser all made of dark wood.  
Dean sighed and placed his bag on the bed nearest the window and took off his shirt.  
"Gettin' out of thid freakin' monkey suit" Dean grumbles to himself as he yanks at the sleeve caught on his arm. He heard Cas chuckle and gave him a glare.  
"You're one of a kind Dean Winchester" Castiel says. Dean looks over and feels his face heat up, not just from the compliment but also that Cas is also slipping off his tie which Dean has seen before but it's so hot. Dean clears his throat  
"Thanks Cas" Dean says, voice deep. Castiel begins to strip so he quickly snaps his head round and decides on a pair of slightly looser jeans...just in case.

 

They ended up at a bar which sold some good looking burgers and fries. Dean chose one called the 'prime time burger' as well as buffalo wings between them. Castiel got something sounding like 'peppered bacon bleu burger' as well as beers for them. Deans mouth was watering at the smells around them. The places was quite rustic or like a lumberjacks shack but Dean couldn't care less, the place smelled amazing.  
"You're gunna start drooling" Castiel says with smile. Dean smirks and leans back in his bench seat, feeling relaxed in his trusty plaid and worn denim jeans. "You fit right in here you know" Castiel menations.  
"Is this insult Dean night or somethin'" Dean asks rhetorically but with a grin on his face. Castiel chuckles and the man comes back with their beers, still cold. They say their thanks and take a swig each, the cool beer liquid heaven down their throats.  
"Dayum" Dean says looking at the beer in his hand. Castiel smiles softly and puts his down on the rough wooden table. Their food came and Dean grinned widely as is high stacked burger was placed in front of him.  
The food was perfect in his mouth, hot, slightly spicy, meaty and greasy. Dean groans round a massive mouthful, cheese flavour exploding on his tongue.  
"Shall I leave you two alone" Castiel teases as he finishes off a hot buffalo wing.  
"Just wait till you try these man, trust me" Dean says, mouth still full. Cas grimaces  
"Your manners are still appalling" Castiel says but still picks up as much of his food as he can to take a massive bite. Dean grins a meaty grin whilst he swallows his too big of a mouthful. Castiel hums, a pickle chip falling as he devours it. Dean smiles fondly, seriously this guy is perfect.  
"Didn't I tell ya?" Dean says and begins eat again trying to catch what fell out. Castiel doesn't answer, too invested in his burger to care. "Thought you were all rabbit food, remember when you ordered salads" Dean says licking off his fingers. Cas snorts and hold up a finger as he swallowed.  
"That's an embarrassing story" Castiel says. Dean grins  
"Sounds juicy, tell me everything" Dean says eagerly as he picked up a wing.  
"I was worried about my weight, I'd lived off gas station food since I was on my own, got a bit of tummy and all that..so I quit, went sort of vegetation" Castiel says. Dean bursts into laughter, dropping his wing onto his plate as he choked on some food in throat "and then you'd order waffles or a burger and...it wasn't worth it" Castiel says with a shrug and a grin. Dean managed to calm down  
"Glad I got you off that ride, to burgers man" Dean says and lifts his beer. Castiel laughs but clinks their bottles together and takes a sip. 

The journey back was quite uncomfortable, their stomachs were filled with food and beer but they felt happy. Even if they got diabetes.  
They quietly made their way into the motel and unlocked their room. Dean tripped over a shoe which made Castiel chuckle and then collapsed onto his bed. Dean did the same, the night sky flooding through the unclosed curtains. Dean sighed and rested his hand on his stomach.  
"Oh my god I think you're showing" Castiel says, higher pitched with a dramatic gasps. Dean chuckles but squeals  
"Oh my gosh really?!" Dean says higher this time placing both hands on his stomach. They both then fell into pits of laughter gaining an angry bang on the wall from another sleeper. They chilled quietly trying to calm down.  
"You know I can't believe you made a joke" Dean says.  
"Hey" Castiel's says with a fake pout shown in the moonlight.  
"Serisouly though, you seem so...uptight" Dean says with a shrug. Castiel smiles and looks up.  
"I guess I'm reserved, alcohol is the only exception though" Castiel says, making them both chuckle. "That and friends of course" Cas says with a shrug, looking over at Dean, the unsaid question hung in the air.  
"Yeah bffs man" Dean says with a grin that was starting to hurt. Castiel chuckles and gets up.  
"I need out of these jeans" Castiel mumbles and starts to get out of everything. Dean now notices the heaters throughout the place we're on full power, letting out waves of heat. He didn't move however. Castiel was in just boxers, white boxers which were tight and small so over all entirely unfair on Dean. His back looked pale in the moonlight, casting shadows in the dips and defining the curve where his back met his ass. Strong shoulders flexed as he fiddled with his jean, the muscle rippling. Dean gulped but was transfixed on his body, lips going dry and his jeans starting to tent. Castiel turns around catching his eyes but Dean doesn't look away, he's be caught many times already and he'd rather enjoy the view.  
Castiel gives a smile, a soft sad one which glints in his eyes.  
That's when Dean looks away.  
"Night Dean" Castiel whispers as he crawls into his bed. 

 

*********************

The next morning they get up at six to get ready, it's still early and the room had called down rapidly whilst the slept making them shiver and rush their routines. They're quiet as they get ready but it's not awkward they are just slowly waking up, not ready to talk just yet.  
They find a diner where Castiel orders blueberry pancakes and Dean orders their breakfast special as well as two coffees for the both of them. The Manila folder is placed beisdes Castiel on the table as their plates are placed in front of them, Dean grumbles and snatches it to put it on the spare seat next to them.  
"Dude, no case files at the table" Dean says and then takes a sip of his coffee.  
"Sorry mom" Castiel says and pours syrup over his pancakes. Dean glares at him and kicks him in the shin under the table. He stops after that and Dean savours the tase of crispy fresh bacon and egg.  
"So we heading to the crime scene first or over to the police" Deans says. Castiel hums  
"Look at the body first, might find a lead that we can look for at the lake" Castiel says, wiping the syrup of his chin. Dean nods and shoves pancake into his mouth. 

They talked to the guy at the desk and he pointed down the corridor to the coroners office. A guy named Ed Zeddmore takes them to where the bodies are and holds his own autopsy report and checked the draw of Linda.  
"It's very strange boys" Ed says and them mumbles "perfect for the ghost facers" as he pulls out the body.  
"What?" Dean asks, not quite hearing him.  
"Oh nothing, let me get her on the table"  
Dean and Cas share a look. 

"So as you can see, this is some pretty crazy stuff" Ed says and points to places on the body "there seems to be several different ways the blood has been drained, as you can see there are small holes which are needle insicions, the most recent ones can be seen as the body's began to slow but there are many bruises where needle have been placed wrong or not treated with care" Ed says. Most of the needles seems to have been places in places like the arms or legs and as Ed had said bruises of green and purples, all at different stages of healing were spread across her. She'd been like this for a while  
"What's the most strangest you can see are the bite makes, the marks seem to be animal but nothing we have on record and they go pretty deep, most being aimed at arterys" Ed says. Dean rubs his rubs his jaw anxiously, she's pretty bad.  
"She's been dead for a while, clearly she didn't drown and the amount of blood loss would've probably killed her a while ago" Ed says and continues with "If you've read the file she also seems to of been sexually assaulted and we can also see signs of several pregnancies but I think at some point her body shut down so things like menstruation would of stopped from already different health problems she would have gotten...likely hood is, they'd rung her dry so they dumped her" Ed says, voice solem.  
"May we look at the body ourselves?" Castiel asks, breaking the sad silence. Ed nods  
"Yeah sure, I'll be in the other room if you need anything"  
Once Ed and gone and they'd gotten ready they started to analyse the body. They tested for any supernatural signs and also checked her gums for fangs but nothing, she was just human.  
"So that photo, when was that and why did they look so happy?" Castiel asks as inspects her guts in boxes.  
"Maybe we should take another look, don't think we were looking for kidnapped wives before that" Dean says, Castiel nods and puts the lid on the last one.  
"We've only found what's already confirmed, she looks like the last lot but she just had their children" Castiel says. Dean nods and sighs  
"I remember when vamps weren't wanting world domination" Dean says. Castiel hum in reply and takes off his gloves.  
"Lets hope we get this done then" Castiel says and take one last look at the dead woman, pale faces and to the bone. 

The road on the north off Holmes lake was shut down and two cop cars were placed at the front with two guys sitting against the hood of one. Dean stopped near them and one walked over.  
"Can I help you sir?" The man asks. Dean gets out his badge and Cas follows  
"FBI, we'd like to look at the crime scene" Dean says. The man goes wide eyed and nods his head rapidly.  
"Yeah of course" He says and walks back to the guy who removes the blockers to let them through.  
"You've got a smug look in your face" Castiel says as Dean waves a bit through the window as a thanks.  
"What, I love seeing their faces when they find out what we are" Dean says as he goes down the windy road. Cas huffs a laugh and leans back.  
The place looks pretty normal now, no people running around or white tent up. There's markers labbeled one and so on to mark out places.  
Besides above on the paths, it's just trees with the water and the stones below them. The sky above has clouded over and the wind comes in strong gusts thanks to the open air which makes the lake ripple and the small waves choppy as the wind hassles it.  
They start their hunt for anything dodgey and just when they think they've drawn a blank once again Cas finds something.  
"Dean!" Castiel shouts to Dean who's walked down the rocky shore for clues. Dean walks back, careful of the uneven ground and finally reaches Cas who's holding something with a glove on.  
"What is it?" Dean asks. Castiel stands up and puts it between them. It's a card-drivers licence to be exact. It's got a man on the front and the name Len Cuse. The guy looks young, High schooler young and clearly the card is a fake.  
"Bit young for that vamp clan don't ya think?" Dean says.  
"Maybe he's one of the kids, probably not the first time they've kidnapped and raped a woman" Castiel says thoughtfully and then gets out a bag to put the card in "it might have prints, we can use their department to find anything" Castiel says. Dean nods and they make one last look around and the only other thing they find is a fang which is already confirming what they already know.  
"They should be more careful when disposing with their body's" Dean says.

Before heading back to the station they run the info on a computer back at the motel to find out anything about this guy.  
Everything seemed normal at first it seemed, the tracked down where he went to school it was suspicious that he hadn't been in kindergarten and only half way through primary school but when he was in his final year of high school he'd dropped out and there was no trace of him after. His mother and father were dead, murderd to be exact-killer never found. But he had been seen with a man once or twice when he was younger but they had no face to match. The name used for his schools (there was no proof of what his real name wasn't that was a fake too) was someone called Henry Day.  
Things seemed to of been removed or altered but not in the right way and some parts he couldn't even enter, decent hacking skills or not. They'll get Charlie on it.  
"Seems someone didn't want anything being found out" Dean says and fisnihes writing in a note book of what they need to know. Castiel, who was leaning over his shoulder much to Dean's distraction, stands back up and loosens his tie slightly which seems to be a regular occurrence.  
"We should go get those finger prints checked out" Castiel says and Dean agrees. 

Henry's face appears at first and then a second match is found. Dean and Cas stare at each other before they wait for it be confirmed and appear. They can hear Ed stalking around the lab but Dean won't say anything until he's certain he's trying to look in on what they're doing.  
A face of a man that almost looks homeless pops up, his hair is thick and curly with some going grey and his beard is short but dark. He's called Boris  
"Well ain't he a handsome fella" Dean mumbles as he starts to print off the page. Castiel huffs and gets out of his chair to get Ed right up against him. Ed jumps and Cas glares.  
"Sorry-" Ed says, panicked. Dean turns around with an annoyed glare.  
"This is none of your business, you better not start snooping" Castiel says, glare wrathful and embarrassingly starts to get Dean kind of aroused.  
"I wasn't-" someone's phone starts to go off and plays some weird tune saying something like ghost facers?  
Ed goes wide eyed and snatches his phone out of his pocket, quickly putting it to his ear to then walk off. Castiel gives Dean a bored and annoyed expression and Dean just shrugs. The printer next to them starts to work so Dean heads over to it and waits for the profile to print off.  
They call in to find what they should do next, pursue the vamps or just head back. Lincoln is a big place and the body was found the day before so the chance of vamps still being here was unlikely.  
They emailed Charlie the finger prints and other information so she could hack in or track their phones down. They told the police to put up information about the two so they could be directed to wherever they had to go, it was a worth a shot.  
All that was left was to wait which was worse than endlesss drives across the country. The heating had cranked up again and the sky was clearer meaning there was more heat.  
Dean sat on his bed invested in the program Dr. Sexy which he'd never admit to liking but is actually quite into it, plus the doctor lives up to his name so Dean isn't complaining. Castiel is reading that book again but Dean knows if means a lot to Cas so he doesn't tease him for being a nerd. He should take him to see Sam and Jess some time, they'd both love him.  
Dean waves the mini fan in his face and makes a silent whining noise at the stick of his shirt, he'd changed but it was just as bad as his suit.  
"Dean you've fought against the supernatural but you can't handle the heat" Castiel says and flips a page. Dean makes a noise of disagreement  
"Says you Mr half undone shirt" Dean says. Doctor sexy wasn't the only think looking fine today. Castiel wasn't just sweaty hot but damn sexy hot. Dean was finding it hard to concentrate sometimes. The tease of his tan skin under his white shirt, his hair sweaty and all over the place, his skin shimmered slightly with sweat and Dean felt like panting at the sight which was highly inappropriate.  
"At least I'm not whining" Castiel says.  
"Well I wasn't either" Dean argues, heat not being the only thing making him go red. Castiel hums like he's sarcasticly agreeing but Dean decides to not to answer like Cas wants him to. Dr. Sexy is now making out in the janitors closet so Dean turns back to that, hoping he doesn't start thinking of Cas in the same situation.

Charlie calls them back saying she managed to track down a weak phone signal which was at some pit stop. She'd also found a gas station and checked their security finding Henry shop lifting at around six in the morning today. They decide to take off now and to head further into Nebraska but first they grabbed a bite to eat and then load up the impala with food so they can take less brakes and catch up with them.  
They call Bobby for the go ahead but to their suprise the call is redirected and someone else answers telling them they should. Turns out the job of confirming tactics like this is not a job for the boss like Bobby, he'll give his opinion but will no longer be called. Dean knows this is the work of those British jerks but Cas calms him down before he crashes the car into cars passing their parking space.  
The weathers not too bad in Kearny as they have a toilet break. The sky is almost clear and the afternoon sun casts a warmth down on them with a slight burst of wind. Charlie and told them she'd gotten another signal from their phone, she can't hack into a call that was made but she told them they were still in Nebraska and currently not moving which meant Dean went over the limit a couple of times making the hour trip to Kearny much shorter.  
"We better catch the sons of bitches" Dean says as they buckle back up and head out of the restaurant parking lot they'd stopped at for a bathroom break.  
"Yeah" Castiel replies and looks out the window. Dean pulls his window down slightly letting the air rattle through like a helicopter as they speed up trying to make as much distance in the sun as possible.  
It got cooler and the sound of the wind was getting on his nerves so Dean rolled up the window and carried on down the long roads. He's not sure if he's hearing it but he can hear the slight hum coming from Castiel's direction, going along with the tune Dean had on low. It was defiantly him and Cas didn't seem to be aware that he was humming. Dean grinned, turning it up slightly so he could sing along. Cas jumped as Dean started to sing and watched him. Dean just grinned and carried on singing, his voice kind of out of tune and deep but no one was complaining. Castiel seemed conflicted but eventually a smile appears on his face and Dean feels warmth burst in his chest, flowing and tingling throughout his body. Castiel tentatively sings a long too, his voice low and quiet but Dean couldn't care less he felt amazing right now. The happiest he's been in a while, it's weird over such a small thing like singing but then again this is Castiel and Dean it's not like they're sunshine and rainbows. Deans cheeks are beginning to hurt from smiling and singing at the same time.

They get a call from Charlie telling them that the vamps were estimated to be in Sutherland which they were just in time to turn into. It was around five in the afternoon now and Dean was feeling tired from the long stretches of road that never really twisted and turned, the lines becoming sheep that beckoned on sleep, but he was not going to fall asleep at the wheel ever again so he was happy for the break.  
"Charlie guesses they might have some sort of safe house in the area, she'll try her best to get a closer location" Castiel says after hanging up the phone. Dean nods and tries to stifle a yawn.  
"You ok?" Castiel asks, concern and anxiety clear in his voice. Dean gives an easy smile and nods.  
"Just a little tired" Dean says with a shrug as he enters Sutherland.  
"We'll find a motel, you can have a nap and I'll wait for any news" Castiel says.  
"Nah it's not that bad, I can stay awake for a while more" Dean says with a wave of his hand.  
"If we have to break into the safe house then you'll need your energy so I suggest you do, there's a motel just a block away" Castiel says smoothly as he looked down at his phone for the motel. Dean nods and carries on to the motel.  
The motel was all on one floor, it was styled like cabins with its wooden walls but it was nothing special. It's was in a half square with a small patch of grass with a couple of trees in the middle and the reception was at the corner where you drive in.  
Castiel goes to get the keys and Dean gathers their things and has a much needed stretch.  
"Sorry baby but just sometimes driving gets on your nerves" Dean says and pats her hot roof. Castiel comes back out and says they're in room ten which was near the right hand corner.

The room was quite small, two beds with mustard coloured tops were against the wall, a small table had an ancient TV on it, a table near the windows at the front had many stains which was unsurprising, there was a desk at the far back and a door leading to the bathroom.  
"Well isn't this heaven" Dean says as he places his bag on the bed nearest the door.  
"How?" Castiel asks, genuinely curious. Dean stares at him with disbelief for a second before rolling his eyes.  
"Don't worry man...don't worry" Castiel puts the computer on the table and his duffel on his bed. Dean takes off his shoes, jacket and tie then promptly falls onto the bed, the springs groan and click but Dean's eyes feel heavy so he turns onto his side and closes his eyes. He can hear Castiel going round silently and then sitting at the computer which he types at. The sound of the cars outside and the keys hitting becomes a rhythm that soon sings him to sleep. 

"Dean" The deep voice says. Dean groans and moves away from it "Dean wake up" they say again, all the voice is doing is make him sleepy. "We need to head out" His shoulder is gripped and pulled back till he's on his back. Reluctantly he opens his eyes to meet familer blue ones.  
"Mmm...what" Dean says, voice still thick with sleep. He sees Castiel smile or maybe he didn't, his eyelids are sticking together and the light of the room makes his sight falter.  
"Come on, up" Castiel says patting his shoulder and then he's gone leaving the blinding light he'd hidden Dean from to welcome him. Dean groans and moves away from it.  
"Don't make me push you off" Castiel says and Dean hears the sound of something being unzipped.  
"Fine" Dean says and sits up. He rubs at his eyes which thankfully lets him see better.  
"What time is it?" Dean asks who can't find his phone in his pockets.  
"Six thirty" Castiel says. The over head light was on which was what had hurt his eyes a minute ago. The curtains aren't covering the window so that he can see the sky turning to evening outside, purple like clouds and orange streaks harbour in the sky and the sound of cars is a lot more scarce. He turns to find Castiel fiddling with a machete now in a pair of jeans and pale blue button down with a few to many buttons undone as usual. That certainly wakes Dean up in ways he'd prefer not to. Ignoring his dick he stands up and pops his bones to wake up his body.  
"So what were you talking about, found anything?" Dean asks.  
"Charlie's found a place on the outskirts, further up and she's guessing that's where the vamps are" Castiel says as he puts his gun in the back of his jeans. Dean nods and begins to go through his bag for better clothes. 

They end up in the car, going past the houses in the area Charlie told them, looking for anything suspicious or one of the vamps themselves. They were looking for about fifteen minutes when they come across a long drive right on the edge of the town, the shrubbery is oranges and brown making the place even darker as the sun disappears.  
"Leave the car here, this might be the place" Castiel says. Dean nods and parks in a small rest in the road made of gravel near the drive.  
The sound of crickets and their heavy boots are the only sound close to them as they climb up the slight hill. It's cool but still quite warm for the evening so Dean had his plaid shirt sleeves rolled up.  
As they get to the top they see two trucks and one blue ford covered in dust and not very well looked after. They sneak round the edge in the cover of a line of trees and then crouch behind each vehicle until they reach the corner of the stone house. Dean signals for Castiel to check round the back so Dean goes wearily round the front. They'd used the pills the British guys gave them to stop their hearts and blood being so noticeable to the vamps.  
The first window shows a sitting room, its old with big arm chairs with covers of floral patterns and mahogany wood is styled into tables and cabinets. Cat photos cover the cream coloured wall opposite, their cold eyes looking back at him. Dean shivers and moves on, clearly the vamps didn't bother redecorating when they got the place. After going past the door he comes across a window with the dust of the dirt gravel below fogs up halfway. Dean sighs and strains to see and only gets he glimpsed of a red jacket, a letterman it seems, before it disappears through a door. Dean sighs and goes round the corner to find Cas standing on top of the back porch. Dean looks up in suprise but then notices a window open, net curtains busting out occasionally. Dean sighs  
"Cas" he says in a harsh whisper. Castiel looks down at him but carries on looking for a way though. "How'd you get up there"  
"Are you blind?" Castiel whispers back and points towards a piece of wood covered in plants that climbs up the back of the porch where it sticks out. Dean sighs and heads over.  
The thorns on the plants nip at his skin and claw at his shirt but he carries on until he reaches Cas who is now on a small ledge below the window.  
"Be careful" Dean finds himself saying and making himself blush. Cas glares back and makes a noise of disagreement as he grips the frame of the window. Dean rolls his eyes and starts his own way to the window. Castiel gets in and Dean follows him in and bumps his head on the frame of the window. Castiel snorts but quickly covers it up and looks around skeptically. They've ended up in a bedroom, there's a single bed in the middle with a metal frame, an oak dresser that has a white bowel and an old cloth on it, the wall above the bed holds a cross but any Jesus that was there has gone. This house seems pretty ancient, the pressed flower in a frame and the faded flowers on the wall paper.  
"This place gives me the hebe jebees" Dean whispers as he gets out his machete. Castiel shakes his head and follows his move. When they end up on the landing they hear talking coming from further down, being careful of any creaks on the old wooden floor boards.  
"Maybe Bethany, she looks like she could take a lot" someone says through a door. Dean goes up against the side and Cas does the same just on the left. There's laughter coming from inside.  
"Yeah, pretty too" a guy says.  
"Thought the point was just to knock her up" a voice says, distinctly younger than the other gruff voices.  
"Not up to you squirt" someone says.  
"When will you turn me" the guy says.  
" _Henry?_ " Dean says with his lips. Cas shrugs just as silently and then crouches down to look through the key hole.  
"Because you can't even legally drink yet, you'll just get blood thirsty like they all do and you know what happens then...we can't afford witnesses or unplanned killings" a man says. Cas looks up and nods. So Henry isn't a vampire yet.  
"Whatever, I need some fresh air" the screech of a chair makes Cas stand up and go back to his left. They look at each other and nod, body's tense and ready.  
Henry walks out and once the door closes Cas comes up behind and holds a knife to his throat as Dean puts a hand on the boys mouth. Dean places a finger to his own lip shushing him. Henry makes a small noise and Cas digs he edge of the blade in slightly so a small cut appears. Henry holds his hands out and they guide him to the room they'd entered from. Cas shuts the door and Dean quickly gets out some cuffs to put on Henry.  
"Are you gunna kill me?" The boy asks, voice shakey and his palms sweaty as Dean locks him up.  
"No, if you don't make this difficult" Dean says. Castiel puts a chair at the end of the bed which was next to a closet so Dean pushes him down, knowing the cuffs will dig in and be uncomfortable between his back and the chair.  
"So not a vamp huh?" Dean says, slightly louder than before. Henry shakes his head "but you want to be, pretty sick wish you got there buddy" Dean says. Henry looks up  
"That's none of your business" Henry says, voice still faulty  
"Oh well you see, my business is to cut the heads off the guys in there and since you want be like them so badly...I think it is my business" Dean crouches down so he's looking up slightly. Henry swallows leaving them in silence until Dean catches a flare of the sun on his blade, catching the younger eye.  
"My sister..." Henry says, the words getting stuck in his throat "they have her and I can only get her back if I-" Henry inhales harshly letting lose a sob and Dean watches as Cas heads closer to the door. Dean just nods and looks back.  
"So you have to do their dirty work to get your sister back?" Dean asks. Henry nods rapidly. Dean swallows and stands up, Henry following the movement "vamps aren't that realiable, you know that?" Dean says.  
"I haven't got a choice, they killed my parents and I need her back-she's only sixteen" He says, voice getting dangerously louder. Dean looks back at Cas who just shrugs but Henry carries on "they're gunna knock her up, drain her and when the don't have anything left they'll dump her...this isn't the first teenager you know?" Dean is filled with suprise and disgust  
"But the bodies-"  
"Are disposed of properly, can't have teenagers being raped and murdered across the states, too much publicity and all that" Henry says, voice still shaking.  
"Ok, let me make a call" Dean gets out his phone and walks to the window. He dials Garths business phone  
"Howdy" Garth says. Dean rolls his eyes  
"Hey Garth, we've got a problem...more like an innocent" Dean says looking back at the boy.  
"You need some back up?" Garths asks.  
"Yeah anyone close to Sutherland, Nebraska would be great"  
"Ok I'll get someone on it, just hold out till then good luck buddy" Garth says.  
"Kay thanks Garth" Dean hangs up the phone and looks back "were getting you out of here" Dean says. Henry looks up at him with panic  
"No my sister I can't-"  
"We'll get her, she got a name?" Dean asks, getting out a his phone to type it out. Henry nods  
"Her names Emma" He says. Dean nods and write it down "same last name as me, Day" Dean puts it down and then pockets his phone.  
"We'll interview you back at HQ, clear?" Dean says. Henry nods.  
"If they find out-"  
"These vamps will be disposed of" Castiel says. Dean gives him a ' _really?_ ' look but Cas gives him no attention. Henry nods but swallows harshly  
They hear the creak of floor boards as someone walks down. Castiel gets out his machete again and Dean does the same.  
"where's that little rat at?" One asks.  
"Dunno man...you hear that?" One other says. Dean and Cas look at each other.  
"More than one heartbeat...coming....from here-" the door bangs open and the man they now know as Boris and another man walk in with anger across their faces.  
"You fuckers again" Boris says heads for Dean whilst the other goes for Cas. In a split second a fight is taking places. Boris gets a few punches in before Dean starts to slice. He swipes at the large man until blood is spewing out weakening the vamp but Dean gets kicked in the balls with a steel toed boot and he drop some the blade in pain.  
"Son of a bitch" Dean says. Boris punches him then kicks at his chest till he's sprawled across the floor. The machete is out of reach and pain rings through him still. Boris lands on him and sinffs his neck.  
"Shame we can't kidnap you guys anymore" Boris says, voice snarly and horrible. Dean grimaces and leans away.  
"What do you mean...not anymore" Deans says, panting and cringing away from the foul monster.  
"Got a new boss in town, makes a couple of new rules" he says, breath hot and coming in pants. Before he can continue a blade swipes quick and silently until it hits bone which makes Boris' head fly off. Dean makes a noise of disgust as blood lands on him as well as the body. Dean pushes it off and looks up at a bloody panting Cas. The room is quiet now except for their heavy breathing. Cas puts out his hand and Dean accepts  
"You alright?" Cas asks. Dean nods  
"Dirty though" Dean says. Castiel nods and walks over to the dresser, putting down his blade and picking up the bowl  
"Can't have us going round looking like murders can we" Cas says and Dean grins. "Don't smile, makes you look like a serial killer" Cas says and heads to the door. Dean finds Henry quiet in his chair, looking down.  
"Can I trust you not to run when I uncuff you?" Dean says as he takes out the key. Henry looks up and nods silently. Dean goes round the back and unlocks them, grimacing at the red raw marks left on his skin. Henry stands up and rubs his rists.  
"Thanks" Henry says and Dean just shrugs. Cas returns with a wet cloth and warm water.  
"You need it more" Cas says and he places it back where is was before and rings out the flannel slightly. Dean winces slightly as walks over, gentitals still tender.  
"You ok?" Cas asks, worry written on his face. Dean can't help but smirk.  
"He kicked me in the balls, still a little tender" Dean says. A pretty flush appears on Castiel's face and Dean can't help but enjoy the sight.  
"Oh-right" Cas stutters. Dean grins and gets the flannel Cas had been gripping. Cas just stands awkwardly next to him but Dean doesn't say anything. 

Henry sits down on the edge of Dean's bed, the sky was dark now and the night had gotten cooler. Garth Called to say an agent was just driving into Sutherland now so Dean told him where he should go. Both Dean and Cas needed some rest and shower, then tomorrow they'd have to check out the house a bit more and fit a few cameras in incase it's used as a safe house once again. They'd call in for the bodies to be disposed of.  
"Did you have any belongings?" Dean asks as he gets off the phone to Charlie.  
"Nothing that important, just some clothes which were back at the house" Henry says. Dean nods  
"We'll take them with us tomorrow" Dean says. Henry just plays with his nails as the other two move around. Someone knocks at the door and Dean opens it to find Ash and Jo.  
"Oh hey guys" Dean says, surprised but smiling  
"Hey" she says with a smile and then grimaces "I'd hug you but you look like you took a couple of laps in a blood bath" Jo says and leave some space between them like she might catch something to them walk inside.  
"I'll hug you bro, ain't no girlll" Ash says gaining a punch and a murderous glare from Jo. Ash hugs him and they pat it each other on the back.  
"Good to see you man" Ash says, giving a smile that always looked like he was slightly out of it.  
"You too Ash" Dean walks back slightly so Ash can step in. Henry still sits anxiously and Jo comes over with a smile.  
"Hey,Henry was it?" Jo asks as she sits next to him. Henry nods and gives her a quick glance before picking at a loose strand on his jacket.  
"I'm Jo and that's Ash, we're going to take you some place safe alright?" Jo says. Henry looks up and nods.  
"Ok" he mumbles silently, throat still raw just like his puffy eyes. Jo smiles and claps him on the shoulder.  
"Up and at em' then" Jo says and stands up. Henry follows but stops to look at Cas and Dean.  
"Thank you...you sure you can get my sister back?" Henry asks.  
"I'm not gong to lie to you Henry, we may not be in time but with the right information we could have a chance" Dean says. Henry swallows thickly but nods  
"I'll tell you everything I know" he says. Dean smiles  
"Good, see you soon" Dean says. Cas nods in goodbye and then the three are gone, leaving a silence.  
"I'm gunna take a shower" Castiel says frowning at his bloody shirt. Dean grins with a nod. 

They search the house in the early hours of the morning so they can get back to Kansas with more time.  
After setting up cameras in all the rooms they start to search the house top to bottom.  
"You know Boris said something weird before you gancked him" Dean says as he sits at the desk, searching through old letters stuffed in a draw, only finding love letters and a woman talking about the flowers that were in bloom during spring, Dean couldn't help but smile at the anonymous letters.  
"What did he say?" Cas asks from his place at the book shelf, dust flying through the room when he looked through them.  
"Something about a new boss making rules or somethin'" Dean says. Castiel looks back and frowns  
"Another vampire you think?" Cas asks as he loses interest in the bookshelf. Dean shrugs  
"Smartest guess" Dean says and shoves the draw back in, the old thing jamming half way. Cas hums  
"we'll see if the men of letters can tell us anything" Cas says and walks out of the room. Dean follows and they head back downstairs, not finding anything but a few used beds and some needles and blood bags that were empty.  
"Lets hope Henry decides to spill, we've also got the issue that his sister is out there somewhere and we need to find her before she's traumatised for life" Dean says as they walk to the car. Castiel nods and gets in shotgun  
"We've got to do better than hope" Cas says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I updated a few days after my last and didn't leave it for a month! All your comments and kudos are really appreciated! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	16. chapter sixteen

The next day when Dean heads back into the office things are rather odd. He stops munching on his bagel when he sees the desks reordered. Before there were sections of where different agents and people worked, those who mainly did desk work had their desk and others had theres. In the centre used to be where they'd gather for big cases (like the vamps) or announcements.  
Now though, they are lined up like damn school kids and at the front sits lady bitchy Bevell. Dean swallows the food in his mouth and heads down the aisle with a glare. She looks up from her computer when he appears and just smiles, riling Dean up even more.  
"what the hell" Dean says in a low angry tone. Toni just sits up with a soft smile  
"this is for your own good Dean" she says. Dean frowns  
"by rearranging our desks?" Dean asks.  
"if it's not a big deal then why do you care so much?" she asks and stands up  
"I care because you're changing everything around here 'for out own good' we were doing fine before you turned up" Dean retorts. Toni sighs and rolls her eyes  
"Dean you don't know what's good for you" she says as she picks up that damn clipboard again.  
"oh I think I do lady" Dean replies with a bitter smile.  
"right because you're the poster boy for a healthy body and mind" Toni says with smirk. Dean grits his jaw then swallows  
"shut up" Dean growls. Toni only raises an eyebrow in response before looking down at her board.  
"your desk is on the fifth row, second desk to the left" she says and walks away to his right where the private offices are. Dean mutters angrily all the way to his desk. 

 

At his lunch break he ends up with Charlie and Kevin in the break room, sitting at a table in the corner. Charlie has once again smuggled in some leftover pizza in a plastic container, most greasy food was actually banned by the British douchebags which is completely ridiculous. Dean had a sandwich he’d made at home which was bacon and ketchup.  
“so I said, well maybe you should of thought of that before getting implants” Charlie says with a mouthful of cold pepperoni pizza. Dean sorts into his sandwich, making ketchup ooze out onto his finger.  
“dude, you got balls” Dean says shaking his head. Charlie shrugs and then gazes over his shoulder, mouth full and widening with a tomatoey grin.  
“hey Cas” Charlie says and grabs a napkin. Dean turns and as she said, there stood Castiel his hair in slight disarray and so is his tie.  
“rough day?” Dean asks with a grin, ignoring the slight heat he feels rise up his neck.  
“these men of letters have me working overtime, some guy didn't show up for work so i got his crap to finish” Castiel says. Charlie beckons him over so Cas heads over to sit at the table.  
“when Novak swears you know it’s serious” Charlie says with a grin. Castiel tilts his head and Dean grins.  
“he swears much more than you think Charles” Dean says. Charlie rolls her eyes  
“I told you too top calling me that and anyway, course you know what he's like, your in each others company almost twenty-four seven” Charlie says. Dean shakes his head.  
“Casey says Henry is ready to talk to us” Castiel says  
“isn’t Casey in one of the lore keepers?” Dean asks, recalling her guiding him to the djinn section one time.  
“well with Bobby’s jobs being split, they're handing jobs to other people, mixing it up a bit” Castiel says and gets the sandwich out of is paper bag.  
“yeah I heard that Crowley was put into witness caring or whatever” Charlie says with a laugh.  
“wait so people’s jobs are changing?” Dean says, sandwich forgotten for the time being. The other two shrug. Dean leans back and lets out a breath of air which is less than relaxing.  
“maybe we should wait before we interview Henry, let you cool down” Castiel says and bites into his food. Dean glares but Charlie just snorts.  
“He knows you well” Charlie says with a smirk. Dean glares, or tries to but they seem unfazed by his look that swears death.  
“I think Mick will be with us this time” Castiel says  
“you trying to piss me off or calm me down?!” Dean says. Castiel looks over with a calm yet stern expression and Dean finds himself shutting up.  
“so when are you two getting married?” Charlie asks with a wide grin.  
“Charlie” they both say in unison.

 

At around three in the afternoon Castiel comes past and tells him Henry is ready. Instead of the usual group like Bobby being there, Mick, Crowley, Toni and Garth stand instead. Garth is there to probably guide, Crowley who'd rather insult the kid than comfort him.  
“afternoon gentlemen” Mick says. Dean just glares and Castiel nods.  
“hello Mick” Castiel says and Mick winks at him. Dean looks between them, skeptical and slightly angry again but Cas has a neutral face and Mick is just his ever so slightly amused as usual. Crowley opens the door with a face of annoyance and they file in. Henry looks pale and scared when they enter.  
“Hey man, not looking too good” Dean says once he's sat down.  
“he refuses to eat” Crowley says and sits down next to Henry. Dean raises an eyebrow and looks over at Henry who's gazing down at the table. Mick slaps a manila folder onto the table and stares at Henry. Mick turns on the recorder and they start.  
“So…Henry Day” Mick says. Henry looks up and takes in the three people opposite. The younger boy swallows  
“yes”  
“should we start from the beginning?” Mick asks. It’s quiet for a bit and Garth pats him on the shoulder and he straightens up.  
“I was young when they came around five, the vamps…came at night time, I heard screaming so I went to check and-“ Henry bites his lip hard, looking down.  
“It’’s ok, take your time” Dean assures, much to Micks disapproval. Dean ignores him and continues to watch the boy.  
“My mom was screaming and my dad was…was dead, she told me to go back upstairs and at first I-I didn't want to, but she shoved me so I went up and found Emma and we hid under my bed” Henry says, biting his lip. Dean nods  
“so they found you?” Dean asks. Henry nods “were they the same men back at the safe house?” Dean continues.  
“No…the guys back at the safe house were a different rank” Henry says.  
“different rank?” Cas asks suddenly. Henry looks up with red eyes  
“vamps don’t just go around and do what they want-they used to but a council was created, as you probably know…created order, made rules up” Henry says “I got into it when it was still developing”  
They all exchange glances, Dean raising an eyebrow “the ones that killed my parents were just soldiers of some sort…the ones back at the safe house have bigger missions and tasks…like breeding and-“ Henry’s face crunches up in disgust and buries his face in his hands. Garth , from his seat next to the teen, puts a hand on his back and gives Crowley a look. The grumpy British man rolls his eyes and stands up.  
“come on, lets get you some fresh air and a cup of water” Crowley says. Dean tries to hold back a snort at the ‘caring’ words in the gruff voice of Crowley.  
“we’ll start the interview again later” Mick says and turns off the recorder.  
“so they're more organised than we originally thought” Castiel says. Dean nods  
“and this whole council thing, doesn't look good” Dean says  
“I don’t know whats worse, bloodthirsty vamps or ones with a master plan” Castiel says  
“I need drink” Mick says and stands up to head to the door.  
Dean opens the case file in front, he finds a picture of a little girl, maybe around three.  
“this Emma then” Dean says. Castiel looks and nods.  
“probably” Dean looks at the notes written down from the cases linked to the boy. Henry had only been seen a handful of times but the people he went around with were seen quite a lot.  
“so these guys just went around and killed people?” Dean asks, not anyone in particular.  
“I imagine they had orders. Like Henry said, they have a council now who give out orders” Castiel says as he takes a list of States and places down where they'd been seen. Dean grunts  
“what for though” Dean says.  
“world domination maybe” Castiel says making Dean snort.  
Garth comes back in with a few cups and sits opposite. His smile is kind as usual and he pushes two plastic cups to each.  
“afternoon boys” Garth says. they smile at him and take a sip from their cups “so Castiel, I heard you might be fond of bees” Garth says with a little smile. Dean watches as a slight flush rises up on Cas but the man nods anyway.  
“I find them very interesting” Castiel says. Garth nods eagerly  
“I completely agree and I mean no one cares you know? They're what keep us living yet we take advantage of them” garth says with genuine confusion. Castiel’s eyes seem to light up and he nods  
“I know right” Castiel says and they both quickly start a quite angry yet loving conversation about bees and their short numbers. Dean just watches on fondly as he finishes his cup of water. He's glad Cas is still eager about bees, he was starting to think offering him the bee thing was a bad idea. The conversation ends up with a date arranged later in spring for Dean and Castiel to take a look at his bees. Garth is extremely happy he gets to show off his work and Cas seems just as childishly happy, making his eyes glow in the dim light trapped by the grey interrogation walls. Dean regrets it even less now.

 

Henry eventually comes back with a grumpy Crowley and a cocky Mick who seems much less stressed than before.  
Mick starts up the recording again and they get down to business once more.  
“so Henry, Boris told us something quite interesting, i’d like to know what you know about it” Dean says. Henry swallows but nods “he said ‘there’s a new boss in town’…making new rules and so on” Dean says. Henry blinks and a thoughtful frown creases.  
“I do remember them being unhappy, the council had made a few business partners which limited what they could do like where they go and what types they kill” Henry says. Dean nods and watches as Mick writes it down.  
“so did you ever see this client?” Castiel asks. Henry shakes his head firmly  
“no Boris and his men may have been higher rank but we hardly met the council let a loan a client, orders were usually sent by one of our leaders, they would have meetings with people from the council, you know, representing vamp clans and all that” Henry explains. Dean raises his eyebrows in surprise, this was some pretty organised shit going on and it made him nervous as much as exited. They were getting a lot of information from this boy and he hoped it lead to some better leads.  
“why do you have clients in the first place?” Mick asks flipping his pen in his hands.  
“uh well, it usually helps the vamps plans go smoother which means anyone who starts catching on can be silenced, they're not really clients but just people or monsters who are bribed to keep quiet…so no one knows what happens”  
There’s a thick silence after that were only the scribble of Mick’s pen breaks.  
“wait so…people are being bribed to stay quiet?” Dean asks, shock clear in his voice.  
“and other monsters?” Castiel adds. Henry is hesitant but nods  
“yes and uh sometimes it’s either money or other ways we convince the not to tell anyone…or start anything” henry says.  
“what sort of people?” Castiel asks  
“CIA, MI5…things like that, as the FBI have a monster unit so do all they and as you must know…they’re not all clean agents, one mention of money and they'll forget all about it, bosses are just as easy to convince as well” Henry says with a hopeless drops to his shoulders.  
“is it possible the…FBI could…” Dean asks hesitantly. Dean isn't stupid, he knows not everyone is reliable and the bosses certainly have their own personal gains from the working here. He just hopes it isn’t for something like this, that he’s not on some wild goose chase where he gets paid to go silent at the end.  
At first Henry looks like he wants to answer but with a little thought and a glance around he goes silent and shrugs his shoulders.  
“it’s not anything I've seen myself, more just speculation through other vamps” Henry says. Dean and Castiel give each other skeptical looks but before they can say anymore Mick is wrapping up the interview for today and Crowley is already escorting Henry out. Mick is packing away the file and Dean and Cas leave silently.

Once a few corridors down Dean turns to Cas with shock. He quickly checks the corridor but it’s empty.  
“dude that was the dodgiest interrogation I've ever been in” Dean says in a harsh whisper.  
“I have to agree” Castiel says looking around.  
“how much do you wanna bet the dudes up stairs are in on it” Dean says rubbing his jaw where a light stubble is growing. Castiel hums  
“these British men of letters don't look too reliable either” Castiel says  
“they weren't reliable from the day they set foot in here” Dean says in an angry rumble.  
“I think our bosses have been susceptible to bribery for a while” Castiel says with a hopeless sigh.  
“what are we supposed to do? just take it and not say a word?” Dean says with anger. Castiel sighs again and shrugs.  
“unless you want to be going against every government out there I guess we could start something” Castiel says. When you put it like that, it does seem rather impossible.  
“I don’t really want to start that apocalypse” Dean murmurs silently. Castiel smiles slightly at that.”but we should just stay on and do everything we know is wrong?” Dean asks. Castiel’s brow creases up with thought.  
“I guess, it wasn't like you were completely obedient in the first place anyway” Castiel says with a shrug. Dean doesn't know if that was an attempt at a joke or if he’s being serious but Dean takes it light heartedly with a soft glare. He’s more proud of the statement than anything.  
“lets go talk to Charlie, maybe she knows anything” Dean says and Cas nods. 

Charlie is in her new office which is further back where desks turn into offices much to all their regret. Charlies playing ping pong across the room from Kevin despite their very heavy workload which is stacked up on the table, information waiting to go on data bases.  
“heya kids” Dean jokes as Charlie hit Kevin in the face with the plastic ball.  
“hey to you too Dean, what brings you to our side of hell?” she asks tossing the bat onto her desk.  
“we are here to talk about a few conspiracies” Dean says. Charlie sits up with a grin  
“ooo, this is gunna be fun, pull up a chair” Charlie says as she wheels over to the table where Kevin is already positioned. Both men take a seat at the smaller table.  
“so start the gossip come on” Charlie says with barely contained excitement. Dean is starting to think one of the main reasons Charlie joined the FBI was to get all the inside news.  
“the kid we got from Nebraska starting chatting about monster units in other agencies like the CIA, saying they were payed to keep quiet and all that, I tired to ask if the FBI could be one but he didn't give a clear answer, said he wasn't sure” Dean says. Charlie goes wide eyed but then it turns into a grin.  
“I knew it” she shouts and quickly spins round to her computer at Dean’s questioning gaze. She sifts through some papers and then comes back with a small stack. “so I was uh…browsing our data bases” Charlie says hesitantly making Kevin snort “anyway I came across some interesting transactions, it took me a while but I cracked some codes and maybe hacked a couple of anti virus systems…anyway I got into the e-mails of someone up top, you know the douches upstairs like literally” Charlie slides over a few pieces of paper showing bank details and some pretty large sums of money being placed into some dudes account. Dean raises an eyebrow at the large numbers “me and Kevin knew these sums of money are…extremely unlikely to a boss like this in these amounts that quickly…he’s basically getting payed for something and since you mentioned vamps keeping people quiet, this seems to make sense” Charlie says taking the paper away.  
“wow” Dean says “are we getting out of our depth here?” Dean asks. Government conspiracies are defiantly not his area of expertise.  
“Uh yeah, very. Even I don't want to get tangled up in this” Charlie says.  
“so we just sit here and do jack about it?” Dean asks. He hates sitting by in any situation and letting the bad guys get their way gets his blood boiling. Charlie’s shoulders drop and he sees Kevin rub his hands down his face.  
“what would we do? who do we even go to, it’s not like we can talk to our boss…chances are he knows” Kevin says regretfully. Dean can’t imagine Bobby being ok with this so the possibility quickly leaves his head, going to other unreliable people.  
“when we were interviewing Henry he looked around all of us and then shut up, Mick being the only British men of letter there, i’ll bet my pay check they aren't just over here to save the world” Dean says. Castiel nods.  
“that’s just peachy isn't it” Charlie says with a sigh. Dean grunts and Kevin starts rolling the plastic ball back and forth. Dean looks down at his watch showing that there’s only about forty minutes of work left.  
“you guys wanna get a drink after work?” Dean asks, the idea of a cool drink heaven right now. Kevin nods and so does Charlie  
“I’ll have to leave a bit early though, got a hot date around eight” Charlie says with a wink. Dean grins and nods and then turns to Cas.  
“you comin’ ” Dean says. Castiel looks a bit surprised at first but it quickly turns into a small smile.  
“yes Dean” He says and that deep voice. Dean swallows and puts on a grin to cover up for his faltering. 

Dean has to go back to his desk but he’s preoccupied as he writes and types. Dean doesn't know how much he can trust the men of letters, whether they're really helping or just leading them away. He likes to hope that maybe he’s wrong about this, that they're only looking into this too deep. His bosses however, make him uneasy. He never liked the dudes that gave them orders up in D.C and the ones who run the building are just as distant and dodgy as the rest. Dean is now certain Bobby would have nothing to do with it, he’s known the man since he could remember and he never put him down to weak and greedy. He’d never take money or agree to ending the human race. He’ll have to talk to him at some point out of work hours.  
His mind eventually runs onto thinking about Castiel, he’s already promised himself he won’t drink too much even if the idea of getting plastered seems very appealing right now. But under no circumstances will they ever end up like last time, he is determined to have control over himself. Castiel seemed ok with coming with him to a bar, maybe because there’s other people around but he did seem surprised, did he think Dean wasn't going to invite him? he had seemed quiet.  
His thoughts are interrupted by Charlie calling his name from the lift where a stiff Castiel and a grinning Kevin are waiting. They're about fifteen minutes early but they seem to be eager to leave so quickly he grabs his jacket and his other stuff before sneaking over to the lift where Kevin is holding it open.  
“we’ll get in trouble for this you know” Castiel mentions as they up to the normal levels.  
“jeez Cas don’t be a party pooper” Charlie says punching his arm slightly. Castiel makes a face of disagreement but stays quiet on the topic.

The bar is quite quiet since it’s only seven but there’s already a few loud groups of people and quite a few looking like they got out of work. A little homeless man sits in one corner with a beer but otherwise it’s calm. There’s a silent beat of music filling in the gaps. The worn wood below creaks as they walk towards the bar where they sit on wooden stools. One of the bartenders named Violet comes over with a smile and a cloth in her hands.  
“heya guys, been a long time” she says. Dean grins  
“good to see you and we've been busy you know…confidential and all that” Dean says tapping his nose. Violet rolls her eyes but a smile adorns her face.  
“what can I get you guys?” she asks.  
“whiskey please” Dean says  
“my usual” Charlie says as she reaches for her phone which has just vibrated.  
“I’ll just have a beer” Kevin says and she turns to Cas who asks for the same.  
“so is that your ‘hot date’?” Dean asks as Charlie smiles down at her phone. She looks up and grins then nodding.  
“get it girl” Kevin says with amusement, punching her shoulder “speaking of girls…Dean haven't seen ya with anyone recently, or a guy for that matter” Kevin says, still grinning. Dean swallows and looks around a bit. there is a reason he hasn't taken an interest in no one else and that reason is sitting right next to him, fiddling with the end of a napkin.  
“uh just been busy you know?” Dean says hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck subconsciously. Charlie is giving him this knowing look which he hates so tries to avoid her jade eyes but they bore into him for a long time after the conversation is dropped yet still Dean feels a panic in his heart.

Things do settle as the night goes on, Castiel is slightly buzzed so he’s spewing a few bad jokes which gets him quite a lot of attention from a group of girls on a hen party who are bar jumping, much to Dean’s hidden displeasure. Dean luckily doesn't get over tipsy and when Jo and Ash come in, him and Jo start the karaoke and they're booed but their group just cheer. The stresses of the day are quickly forgotten and they have a lot. Charlie leaves with a lot of inappropriate shouts from their group getting a disapproving glare from Ellen. Kevin is off chatting to some college girl making the others grin and then Jo and Ash start a sing off with some other members of the bar. This leaves Dean and Cas to themselves at the table they'd moved to. It’s curved and the backs are high with a little light above casting light on the empty beers and glasses as well as the two men.  
“you doin’ alright buddy” Dean says and takes a sip of drink. Castiel nods and leans back.  
“i’m good, you?” Castiel replies. Dean nods  
“yeah i’m chill, vamp world domination? Nah, conspiracies? Don't even care, in fact I don't even care that I don't care” Dean rants, with a pout making his words slightly slurred. Castiel chuckles besides him and Dean looks over with a grin.  
“your humour is just as bad when your drunk” Castiel says and Dean pouts even harder, not even bothering to deny it.  
“hey who’s the one that was making knock knock joke earlier” Dean says. Castiel rolls his eyes with a smirk.  
“those girls certainly liked it” Castiel says with a wink. Dean burst out laughing and hits Cas’ chest.  
“and here I was thinking you didn't even notice they were flirting” Dean says.  
“i’m not as naive as you may think Dean” Castiel says.  
“never thought you were naive just…socially awkward” Dean says with a shrugs as he slumps against the other mans shoulder.  
“I think I am socially awkward but when a girl is not so discreetly brushing her hand on your crotch it'll take a dumbass not to notice” Castiel says with a grin. Dean slaps his arm and laughs.  
“oh my god” Dean says  
“no i’m Castiel” Castiel says with a look of amusement as Dean tries not slip off the bench seat.  
“dude” Dean says, catching his breath.  
“so you not girls as well as guys?” Dean asks, kinda curious what this guy identifies as. Castiel shrugs  
“Don’t really care what their gender is, as long as there nice and decent looking” Castiel answers making Dean chuckle. Dean needs to get Cas under the influence more often. He’s awesome sober but fucking great when he’s not. That gets Dean thinking, why is he like that.  
“can I ask you somethin’, you don't have to answer if you don't want to but…why are you so up tight?” Dean asks, genuinely curious. Alcohol has loosened his tongue slightly but he’s not dumb enough to be blunt, he knows this could be personal.  
At first Castiel just shrugs and looks around but eventually his blue eyes come back to Dean and lock with his own. Cas sighs  
“as you probably know my parents died so I lived with my uncle…him being ex military and all that he brought me up to be like a soldier, do what your told, stand straight don't show fear all that…he was strict so I had no friends, couldn't watch TV and all that so I just…didn’t have the experience” Castiel shrugs like it’s nothing and at first Dean thinks how fucked up that is but…he’s the same. Maybe John didn't ban his TV time or not let him make friends but he’d been raised to be a ‘man’ or however his dad thought a man should be. His mom didn't seem to like it but eventually she’d go quiet. He didn't like to think about what shut her up.  
“my dad was the same, had to do what I was told and follow in his footsteps. He raised me like I was training for the damn army, like i’d be going into war once he was gone…maybe he wanted me to” Dean pondered. He’s sure John would be proud if he’d signed up for whatever war he could at the time. Dean doesn't know why he admits that, after his fathers death he started the long road of recovering as he’d been such a dominate figure in his life that told him what was right and what was wrong but he had to come to terms with the unhealthiness of it which Sam had helped him with, his younger brother had always butted heads with John and hardly ever tolerated Johns commands for longer than an evening. Deans better now though, not fully healed but on his way. That however doesn't explain why he found it so easy to admit to Castiel when it had taken Sam months to get though to him.  
“i’m sorry to hear that…I know it’s hard” Castiel says and then they fall into a relaxed silence, the heaviness of their conversation weighting out the silence.

Eventually Ellen kicks out the group, Jo being pulled into the back to be on a spontaneous cleaners duty. Ash heads the other way dragging a drunk Kevin to his apartment to crash. At first Dean offers Castiel a ride but Cas doesn't let him drive (grabbing his keys to stop him), saying he may only be tipsy but something could happen. At first Dean wants to snort and call him mom but the almost desperate look in those suddenly serious sober eyes makes him agree to go for a cab even if he is leaving his car in the fed parking lot.  
They end up at Cas’ place first and for some weird reason it feels like the end of a date, it’s late and they've been sharing a few smiles on the drive over, Dean feels his heart rate picking up and he has no idea why.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow then” Castiel says with a small smile. Dean nods with a little awkward wave making Cas bite his lip to hide a chukle.  
“seeya” Dean says grinning. Now they're just staring at each other, Castiel eyes look nice as the red glow of a shop highlights his face through the sunroof, it gives his face a sharp edge making Dean fidget.  
“look guys, if your gunna kiss make it quick or get out the cab, I got a home too you know” the taxi driver says making both men blush. Cas opens his door and waits a second giving one last smile before stepping out. Dean sits back and pats his pockets to check for his keys, shocked to not find them there he remembers Castiel grabbing them so he wouldn't drive.  
“wait” Dean tells the taxi driver who glares at him but stops the car. Dean gets out and comes face to face with Cas who was waiting for him to drive off.  
“Dean?” Castiel asks, head tilting slightly.  
“you’ve got my keys” Dean says. Realisation sparks in his sparkling eyes and he begins to pat down his pockets.  
“night love birds” the taxi driver says he pulls away from the curb.  
“hey!” Dean shouts but the man only waves out his window “I told you to wait jackass!” Dean shouts even when the man has turned the corner. Cas hands over his keys and Dean gabs them.  
“if i’d driven i’d almost be home” Dean grumbles. Hurt crosses across Cas’ face and Dean regrets opening his mouth.  
“i’m sorry Dean” Castiel says shuffling his feet. Dean lets the anger drain his body and he puts a hand on Cas’ shoulder to gain his attention.  
“nah man i’m sorry, shouldn't of said that it’s just there ain’t no taxis just driving here, i’ll have to call” Dean says thinking about whether he should just take the bus.  
“or you could just crash on my couch” Castiel offers with a shy look. Dean stares in surprise before blinking.  
“you sure?” Dean asks “we’ve got work tomorrow” Dean says letting his brow crease. Castiel shrugs.  
“you can just wear some of my clothes, I should have a spare tooth brush…I have everything” Castiel says with a shrug. Dean smiles  
“thanks man” Dean says. He’s grateful but part of him dreads the idea of sleeping in the same space as Cas when they're basically not in work hours, this is choice. Dean tries to ignore that though and follows Cas up his narrow staircase to his apartment.  
the apartment is still the same besides the odd magazine and there’s some mail on the table. Castiel heads to a dresser and looks through to find a pair of sleeping pants and a shirt.  
“you can use these” Castiel says and flings them over the amor of his couch.  
“thanks” Dean says and sits down on the low couch.  
“you wanting to head to bed now or not, i’m hungry so I think i’ll make a sandwich or something” Cas says as he toes off his shoes and then puts his jacket over the back of a dining chair. Dean tries to ignore the one less layer and the way Cas has given up on his tie and lets it dangle undone round his neck, bright white of his shirt a stark contrast to the tan of his skin. Dean tries to remember what Cas was saying- oh right food.  
“I haven't eaten in a while, could use something” Dean says. Castiel nods and looks through his fridge.  
“i’ve got leftover pasta, cheese, lettuce, mayo tomatoes maybe some cucumber but I might've of left that there too long” Castiel says. Dean snorts and stands up.  
“a sandwich maybe” Dean says  
“I think i’ve got some of that cooked chicken strips in here” Castiel says and takes out a packet of chicken. Dean nods and takes it.  
“bread is in there” he says and points to a bread bin at the edge of a counter.  
“thanks man” Dean says and gets out some bread.  
“no problem” castiel says and reaches into a cabinet to get out a box of microwavable macaroni.  
Eventually they're both sat down watching some late night TV, Castiel with his macaroni and cheese whilst Dean has a chicken and mayo sandwich with lettuce and tomato. They're not talking but it’s pleasant, the sound of some shitty dirty drama playing out on the TV. Dean’s phone buzzes and he sees Ash appear asking if he got home safe. Dean laughs and puts _‘yeah girlfriend i’m cool, crashing at Cas’ i’ll see you tomorrow’_  
Eventually sleep starts to call and whilst Cas uses the bathroom Dean gets into his plaid pants and a pale blue shirt with a little smiling bumblebee buzzing across. Dean rolls his eyes but has to fight the smile trying to fit on his lips. It smells nice, Cas has a nice detergent but also the natural scent of Castiel which clings to all his things, the smell of pine and that fresh smell after the rain on the tar mac, his hair smells sweet of honey and sometimes when he gets close with his skin he smells like honeysuckle maybe. Dean must do some snooping in his bathroom when he goes in. Dean feels calm though, the smells around him thanks to his clothes and the blankets cas gave send a surge of affection through him. Everything is Cas and Dean is trying not to inhale hard enough to hurt his nose. Cas opens the door and comes out in boxer shorts and a white top. Dean ignores the mans strong thighs which are smooth plains of tanned skin. His hair is more ruffled up after the day and Dean has the massive urge just to wrap himself around the other man.  
“bathrooms yours” Castiel says and Dean only now notices the fluffy bee socks Castiel has on. Dean can’t help but snort at the sight of a grown man in bee socks.  
“dude bee socks really?” Dean says as he stands up. Castiel frowns at him and looks down at the socks in question, raising one foot to the toes.  
“what, they keep me warm” Castiel says. Dean only smiles with the shake of his head and walks to the bathroom. He locks the door and takes in the room. The bathroom is quite small, there’s only the toilet, a shower, the sink and a mirror above it.  
Dean quickly takes a leak and then returns to ‘finding’ the toothbrush after washing his hands. What he didn't notice but now sees is the mirror is actually three doors to compartments. One has his razor, toothpaste and shaving cream with a few little nicknacks, the one in the middle holds a pot of toothbrushes two of which in packets and in the other he finds some creams and chapsticks. Dean swallows the laugh at the cherry flavoured chapstick but a little pink sticky note (those tiny ones) say _‘time to moisten those lips boy- Meg’_ Dean smiles and then reaches for a cream which seems to be a body one, it’s honeysuckle which makes a lot of things clearer. Dean isn’t the sort to pamper himself and the voice of his old self (the John one) thinks it’s girly for Castiel to have this sort of thing but he imagines if he'd be held close by Cas with his bare skin and smelling the sweet interesting smell close would be wonderful and it makes his heart swell just thinking about it. Dean clears his throat and puts it back.  
There’s a few other but it’s beginning to look dodgy so he quickly gets out the toothpaste and opens a new toothbrush.  
As he brushes he sneaks a look in the shower where a honey comb shampoo and conditioner sit along with a soap and few wash cloths. Dean nods and goes back to his teeth.

When he comes out Castiel has put down one of the arm rests which is kinda cool, blankets are set out and a fluffy looking pillow.  
“it’s not exactly five star but I hope it’s good enough” Castiel says from his place at his bed where he’s setting his alarm.  
“It’s great, thanks Cas” Dean says and goes through his now neatly ordered clothes (thanks Cas) to make sure his phone is charged enough, it should do for tomorrow as he hadn't used it much.  
The main light is off, Cas’ little bedside lamp is on, the blinds are drawn and altogether the room is soft and cozy. Castiel is reading a book, his hair is even darker in the dim light and his bed is stuffed with quilts and extra blackest as well as two pillows making him soft himself. Dean quickly stops going down that road and decides to inquire on his book, it’s not the same as before.  
“what you reading?” Dean asks. Castiel looks up  
“oh-Van Gogh, lust for life it’s a very good book” castiel says. Dean nods  
“what is it a biography or somethin’ ” Dean asks getting more comfortable in ‘bed’.  
“no its fiction actually, his life from his point of view like a story” Castiel says. Dean hums in approval, sounds pretty cool.  
“you like his art then?” Dean asks, it wouldn't be surprising of course Castiel would love art, he's that type of guy but Dean doesn't see it as snobby just…nice, very Cas.  
“yes but he’s also interesting as a man, I feel sorry for him…poor man didn't have a good life” Castiel says thoughtfully, like he knew him. Dean smiles sadly.  
“yeah shame, his art is pretty good even for a dumbass like me” Dean says with an almost bitter chuckle. He looks up and finds Castiel frowning at him.  
“you’re not dumb Dean” Castiel says. At first Dean wants to say it was a joke but it’s not really, he’d always grown up being the dumb cocky older brother to Sam who was special and would go brilliant places. Dean didn't go any where. Dean just ends up shrugging.  
“you should read this after, it'll help you understand him better” Castiel says “sorry you must be tired, do you want me to turn off the light, I tend to read to help me sleep” Castiel says. Dean shakes his head  
“nah it’s cool, you carry on” Dean says and settles further into the couch, his eyes aching slightly from being open for so long. He hopes he doesn't have a hangover tomorrow, he hadn't had much but he still slightly buzzed, the tingle in his veins and the heaviness of his head. Through droopy eyes the pleasant image of Cas reading, the soft turn of each page as the orange glow floods across the room leaving shadows over the small space, Cas’ nest looking all the more cosy.  
Dean’s last thoughts are that if he were like Van Gogh, this would be something he’d paint. 

 

*************

Dean woke up the next day to an alarm going off and a headache. With a groan Dean turned over in the tight space given and tried to open his eyes. The screeching of an alarm was turned off and rustling was heard. At first Dean had forgotten where he was, the flat material of a ouch below unfamiliar and the space around confusing, but eventually he remembered where he was so he unstuck his eyes and just as he guessed he found Cas sitting on the edge of his bed running his hands through untamed hair.  
“mornin’ “ Dean says sleepily. Dean sits up himself and rubs his head. It wasn't the worse hangover but it wasn't pleasant. His tongue felt like sand paper in his mouth and the taste was unpleasant.  
“good morning Dean” Castiel says and as usual when he's just woken up, his voice is even deeper than usual. Cas rubs at his jaw and stands up “i’m going to take a shower” Castiel says and goes to a small door where he gets out a fresh towel and shuffles into the bathroom, the stark light of the bathroom flooding into the darkness. Dean dropped back down, the arm rest digging into him even with the pillow. his back is beginning to ache and one legs has slipped off the couch. This being one of the disadvantages of being too big is that couches just aren't comfortable and he would know as he's had his fair share of uncomfortable sofas.  
The sound of the shower wakes him up more so he gets up and starts to crack his joints and stretch a bit. Instant relief makes him sigh. Castiel was right about the floor being cold but luckily he’d kept his socks on last night.  
He looks for his phone and reads the time which is six thirty. The blinds keep out most of the sky but he can tell only the hints of sun are appearing this early. Dean turns on the main light which makes his eyes sting but they quickly adjust. To be polite Dean starts to pick up blankets and fold them to save Cas the trouble.  
This isn't his place so he ends up sitting back down and flipping through a magazine under the TV on it’s table.  
Eventually the door opens letting out some steam and a damper more awake Castiel who only has a towel around his waist.  
“if you need to shower there’s towels in there” Cas says and points to the door earlier. Dean keeps his eyes above the other mans chest so as not to make it awkward or for an embarrassing boner to appear in the thin material.  
“thanks again” Dean says and stands up trying not to drag his eyes along the thickness of his wet chest. Dean quickly heads to the door and with one quick look at the curve of Cas’ back he disappears into the bathroom.  
A little heater is going meaning it’s nice and warm when he strips. He uses the soap in the shower to lather up and then he lets the nice warmth of the water wake up his achey joints. He brushes his teeth towels off his hair, then he realises he’ll have to go back out for clothes. With a little pep talk that this has happened before and that they're both men Dean unlocks the door and steps out after drying everything off. Castiel is just shirt and slacks when Dean comes out, he’s tossing a few junk mail slips in the trash.  
“sorry forgot my uh-clothes” Dean stumbles as he heads to the neat pile of clothes. Castiel looks over with a not so discreet check out but he quickly turns around with a blush to his cheeks.  
“its fine, shall I make us breakfast I might have some bacon and eggs here” Castiel says as he walks past towards the kitchen.  
“yeah sure thanks” Dean rushes and quickly walks back to the bathroom and gets changed there. He doesn't look the best, he hasn't shaved and his clothes are slightly wrinkled but at least he doesn't looks tired. His head is still killing though.  
After having some aspirin they both sit down at the small table to have breakfast, the bacon is just the right side of crispy and the eggs may have been just a bit overdone and the toast singed at the edge but it was still good.  
“thanks for letting me stay over Cas” Dean says putting ketchup on his egg.  
“what friends do right?” Castiel says with a slight hesitance in his voice. Yes they are friends, Dean thinks.  
“yeah for sure, any time your drunk just pop round to mine” Dean says with a playful wink and a smile. Castiel chuckles and continues eating.  
Since Cas also left his car back at the fed parking lot, it means they have to walk. Dean doesn't really mind, the weather currently seems pleasant with the early morning colours of pale yellows and a matching blue. Dark clouds, however, are seen in the near distance, promising rain and wind so Dean decides appreciating the warmness of the morning before it’s gone.  
The streets aren't empty and neither are the roads, people going to work and a few teenagers about doing god knows what. Castiel is quiet next to him, he’s got on a nice grey suit with a red tie and navy blue coat. He still got that straight posture despite looking quite comfortable, his face is neutral and Dean remembers their conversation last night, he can’t help but have the feeling he may have overstepped thanks to the drink. They may be friends and all but who knows with Cas.  
“hey Cas uh last night…i’m sorry if I overstepped or something, I know talking about family and all that isn't easy” Dean says now really feeling the guilt. He doesn't look over at Cas but he can feel the other mans eyes on him, the familiar intensity that always gets him shivering slightly.  
“where did you get that from” Castiel says as hey stop at some traffic lights. Dean’s eyes snap up to meet Cas’ which hold confusion that can also be seen in the crease of his brow. Dean just shrugs and Cas tilts his head in a sad way “Dean” he says, his voice sounds slightly bored in a fond way like Dean does it often…maybe he does.  
“…what…” Dean wonders as the light signals they can cross over along with a woman giving them a funny look. Castiel doesn't say anything at first but he looks over occasionally.  
“I think I made it clear that I'm ok talking to you, yes I was reluctant to actually talk about it but that has nothing do with you” Castiel says and Dean looks over and lets his shoulders drop, not knowing he’d tensed up “I do not know why you would think such a thing” Catiel says as they edge closer to work. What he says is the truth, Dean doesn't know why he felt so guilty, the emotion had just come on when thinking about the situation with a clearer mind. Castiel was fine though so Dean has no reason to panic. What happened to Cas however does make Dean uneasy, losing your parents and then putting that life on top is certainly not appealing. There’s a voice in the back of his head, reminding him that the same thing happened to him just the other way round and although it would be dreadful to lose your parents at a young age, wouldn't you rather like that than it be them that raise you into a soldier. The argument is familiar and well worn to his tired mind so he pays it no attention, letting the comfort that right now Castiel isn't mad at him and that yes, they are friends.

*************

 

They're quite early to work but an eerie quiet still takes over even with people around.  
“did someone die?” Dean asks Cas who only looks around.  
“yeah, our freedom” Castiel replies. Dean bursts into laughter, finding it too funny especially with Cas’ serious expression. A few heads turn as Dean continues but no one seems to care rather than it being a shock.  
“dude are you still drunk?” Dean asks with one last laugh as he takes a breather making people go back to what they are doing.  
“no, was it that funny?” Castiel asks. Dean honestly doesn't know which part was so funny but maybe this is body dealing with Cas making a decent joke, who knows.  
“doesn’t matter man, c’mon lets find someone, work doesn't officially start for another twenty minutes” Dean says holding onto Cas’ elbow to guide him trying to ignore the contact he just made but trying to persuade himself to let go before it gets creepy.

They find garth and Crowley in the break room, Garth with a cup of tea in his hand but it seems to be going cold as he chatters away to a bored looking Crowley. Dean doesn't know where the nickname came from, he’s actually called Fergus but Crowley always despised that name so insisted on Crowley. they all thought it fit well, the name giving a distinct evil ring to it that matched the all black wearing agent.  
“so of course I told my wife that there ain’t nothin’ to worry about, Tracy just doesn't have the nack for cakes like my wife does” Garth continues.  
“mornin’ Garth, Crowley” Dean says walking in with a fake smile toward Crowley, knowing shit like that just gets on his nerves especially when he’s already agitated, honestly Crowley just seems like a moody teenager going through a goth faze.  
“wife doin’ ok Garth” Dean says making Crowley dare daggers into him. Garth smiles wide  
“oh yes I was just telling Crowley that my Bess was competing in the local cake making completion run by the church” Garth says happily. Him and Bess somehow have the overly sweet marriage that is a dream to everyone else, they have a place up where the city turns into suburbia and they fit right in, Dean has always heard about the stuck up neighbours and the fights between soccer moms. It’s like a TV show and Dean would be lying if he said he wasn't slightly jealous of how perfect his life is.  
“sounds fun, not a massive cake fan though” Dean says with a smile. Crowley rolls his eyes  
“yeah your a pie man, maybe when you come over we might have one in the oven” Garth says making Dean grin. Crowley starts to move towards the door but Dean isn't finished yet  
“hey Crowley, noticed you have a new job is it any good?” Dean asks and pleased when Crowley sighs out of exasperation but turns to him.  
“it’s going terribly, I despise those assholes who put me there” Crowley says with anger.  
“hey don't bring the mood down Crowley” Dean says making Crowley scoff. Castiel hides a snort behind his hand and fakes it with a cough. Crowley glares at all of them and stalks off out of the room.  
“won’t get far with an attitude like that” Garth says with a sigh. He takes a sip of his tea but grimaces when he figures out it’s gone cold “what you get for chatting huh?” Garth says with amusement as he pours it down the sink. Dean chuckles and then looks down at his watch which shows it’s time to get some work done.  
“well here we go” Dean says with a sigh that Castiel agrees with and Garth makes a thoughtful hum. Then they all head out of the break room to start the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hope you enjoyed! why do I end up making them bond by being drunk I don't know. I don't know why I didn't mention this before but I'm actually from Britain and I've only been to America once so a lot of this is based on everything I can find and know so sorry if I get anything wrong and if it's important like a law for example then please tell me so I can correct it!  
> I'm also trying to figure a good schedule of when to upload, it seems about twice a month or something but I'll figure it. This is my first time actually posting anything I write so it''s all new :)


	17. Chapter seventeen

Dean finds himself knocking on the door of Garth and his wife's place. It’s a nice day, spring in full swing with the trees bursting with life and the weather is pleasantly warm with a cool gust of wind occasionally that keeps the air fresh.  
Castiel’s car is outside already which is good. Dean was unsure whether he should be going himself but remembering this was his attempt at apologising it was best he went, whether he enjoyed bees or not.  
It was worth it though, as promised a fresh pie was cooling on the window sill and him and Bess sat down at a table on the patio with beers as Garth showed Cas the bees. Their garden was nice, small stone paths through patches of vegetables at flowers with beans climbing their stands and roses climbing up the house with pale pink petals. The bees were near the back but you could see the hives peeking up amongst the nature. There was the buzzy sound of bees buzzing but something about it was calming as they talked.  
What made it even better was the look of joy on Cas’ face when he looked at Garth pick up the boards. Even from a distance he could see the childish glint of joy in his bright blue eyes. that showed in his smile. Dean realises that Castiel probably had as much of a childhood as him, being mature before his time. Dean swallows hard and takes a gulp of his cold beer to moisten his dry throat.  
“you two are close then?” She asks. Dean looks over at the woman opposite, the sun letting her blonde locks glow golden. It reminds him of his mom.  
“kinda, I guess” Dean says. Dean is still unsure what they are, he guesses they're friends but like co-workers? or more than that. They've shared a few stories and all that but would he consider them friends like that? Dean doesn't know but he decides not to delve into it.  
“well you seem close to me” She says and if the slant in her voice on ‘close’ mean anything, Dean doesn't pay any attention to it.

Castiel ends up with a jar of honey Garth and already made, a few wax candles and another invitation round. Dean insists on paying for things despite Garth’s protests, after all he’s here to make up for what he did and if his wallet being a little emptier than before to dampen the flame of guilt then he’d happily give over his money. Castiel looks at him in a way that Dean can’t decipher but it gets his blood pumping a little faster and the ends of his fingers and toes tingling. 

“thank you Dean, I like your ways of apologising…so I forgive you, even if I was just as much at fault” Castiel says looking down anxiously at his face.  
“lets not start that disagreement ok? It’s fine, it was good and you had fun so that’s good for me” Dean says with a wink. Castiel blushes slightly and nods  
“yes it was fun, I’ll have to make it up to you though” Castiel says shyly looking through his eyelashes slightly making Dean’s breath hitch involuntarily.  
“ye-yeah sure” Dean says, not really knowing what he’s saying;  
“maybe I could do it today, it’s only five thirty….burgers and beers maybe?” Castiel asks hesitantly. Dean bites his tongue so not to go ‘hell yes’ and tries to look a little hesitant.  
“that sounds cool, I know a place with amazing burgers, follow my car?” Dean asks and Castiel nods. 

The little bar they go to on the edge of town looks a little dodgy but their burgers are heaven and the atmosphere is nice, kinda like home.  
The sun is still in the sky but a slightly harsher wind flows across the ground making the dust of the car park fly up. A biker gang are near their bikes with a few beers and making a racket.  
“you sure we won’t get killed here?” Castiel asks half jokingly. Dean chuckles but shakes his head  
“nothing to worry about but anyone gives you trouble i’ll put em’ in their place” Dean says with a grin.  
“you know I can handle myself right?” Castiel asks with a joke. Dean laughs and pats him on the back as they go inside.  
they sit near the back so they're not bothered by the rowdiness of a group of kids playing some pool and a group of men at the bar. The lights are quite dull and the smoke of cigarets floats through it’s gaze, the floor boards creek and the wooden structures of the bar and benches are worn and have a few weird stains on them.  
They get their beers first so they sit and talk. Castiel of course isn't in his suit and it still kinda freaks Dean out as well as it sort of turns him on. Cas in plaid certainly had Dean’s mind going places it shouldn’t.  
“so how do you even know this place, seems a little off the map” Castiel says and Dean shrugs.  
“found it on instinct I guess, I’d almost grown up in shabby bars like these ones when my parents went around the States, for a place to relax a bit or to find out anything weird…they’d come some place like here. Being an agent was pretty different than to what it is now, less desk work and agencies and more like just finding dodgy deaths and going over you had to find it all out yourself” Dean says and takes a swig of his beer “so when I needed a place to eat when I had no power, I found this place” Dean says. Castiel nods.  
“your parents sound like hunters” Castiel says. Dean raises an eyebrow.  
“really?” Dean asks and Cas nods  
“I read up on them not so long ago, apparently the majority had no home too much moving about made it impossible, these were the places they'd go to hustle pool and get a cheap meal. Much more hands on than we are now, did you know they used to burn the bodies themselves, even find the cases themselves” Castiel says. Dean hums  
“at least they didn't have conspiracies like we do, probably didn't have a boss either” Dean says and Castiel huffs a laugh “maybe Bobby knows more, he told me a lot about my parents than I could figure out or remember” Dean says, more talking to himself than anyone else.  
“you and Bobby are pretty close, you family?” Castiel asks.  
“yeah sorta, used to look after me sometimes when my parents were busy with a case…more of a dad than my actual one to be honest” Dean says and Castiel softens his expression slightly. The lady at the bar comes over with two plates with steaming burgers and fires. They thank her and they take it in.  
“they’re pretty big” Castiel says looking at the stacked food of bacon, onion rings, cheese and much more. Dean takes the little stick out at grins.  
“what? Can't put big things in your mouth…shame” Dean says with a wink and takes a bite.Dean would be panicking at the blatant flirting he’d accidentally just done but Castiel laughs then winks.  
“don’t worry…I can manage” Castiel says with a grin. Maybe Dean was wrong about Cas being completely shitty at flirting. Dean felt his dick stirring slightly in his jeans as he watches Cas stretch his mouth around the burger, making his lips become wet with grease like his long fingers. Ideas fresh in his head from what Cas had just implied along with that didn't help the situation. Castiel moans as he swallows thickly around a big peace of burger.  
“this is good, you were right about this place” Castiel says, oblivious of Dean’s predicament.  
Dean clears his throat “told ya” Dean says and takes another bite. 

After their food is long gone they’re still sitting with a few beers gone. They talked about a lot, it felt like those get to know you conversations people normally have when meeting someone new. Dean learnt Cas is also fond of Guiana pigs as well as peanut and jelly sandwiches, he likes to go on walks and likes art. Dean told him all the boring things about him but Cas seems eager to hear everything and even inquires on his love for classic rock and also the story of his car. He told him more about Sammy and his fiancé Jess who’s wedding is coming up very soon. Castiel seems to like Sam already and Dean can’t blame him because Sam’s everything great and he’s fun so Dean promises if they ever end up in California he can introduce them.  
Soon the bar gets rowdier as the sun begins to disappear so they call it a night and head out after a little bicker about who pays even if Cas said this was his way of apologising.  
The night makes the air chillier making the wind nip at their skin and their breath appear in front of them.  
“I had a good day” Castiel says and Dean smiles as they stand between their cars.  
“same, thanks for paying as well you didn't need to” Dean says and Castiel rolls his eyes.  
“I did you assbutt” Castiel says which makes Dean burst into a fit of laughter. “stop it” Castiel says and punches him half heartedly.  
“assbutt?” Dean inhales “seriously?” Dean says and laughs hard enough to bend over.  
“you’re a bastard” Castiel says but a hint of a smile can be heard. Dean eventually contains himself and looks up to a pouty Cas who’s Cleary faking it but Dean finds the pout of his lips cute.  
“awe c’mon Cas” Dean says with a smile as Cas turns sideways “hey” Dean says and jabs his hand where Cas’ side was exposed thanks to him crossing his arms. “pay attention to me man c’mon” Dean says with a grin as he keeps stabbing him. Cas bites his lip to hide a smile.  
“no” Castiel says trying not to laugh.  
Eventually he breaks and starts to giggle so Dean spins him around so he’ll look at him but Cas has his face down. Without thinking he pull his face up with his fingers. Castiel’s smile softens and Dean feels himself do the same as he stares fondly down into deep blue eyes that glint slightly from his laughing in the rising moonlight. Dean can’t bring himself to take his hand away, light stubble scratches slightly at his fingers but he cant help but be drawn in, remembering it from that drunk night when he felt it against his own face.  
Dean doesn't even notice they've gotten closer together until the other man lets out a light hesitant exhale. He instantly takes his hand away as well as a step back. Castiel blushes and Dean feels that he’s not far behind. Castiel gives a small smile though so Dean hasn't crossed a boundary…well he may have but Cas doesn't seem to have cared.  
“i’ll see you Monday then” Castiel says with a light touch to Dean’s arm. Dean nods and smiles slightly.  
“yeah night Cas, drive safe” Dean says and Castiel smiles back.

 

That night Dean can’t sleep, thoughts are buzzing in his mind…but they're good ones, thoughts of Cas. There’s still apart of him which is weary but images of little things like getting to hold his hands or his face, to feel the scratch of his stubble and smell the familiar sweet scents of Cas and taste him like the salt of his sweat and the cherry of that damn chapstick that Cas must of been wearing because his lips were wetter looking tonight. Dean feels like a teenage girl dreaming about her crush and maybe he shouldn’t, it won’t be healthy for when the bliss ends, whether it’s the dreams or what he has with Cas because everything feels so fragile, one wrong move and Cas will go back to giving him that stoney look. The thought makes his throat run dry and Dean despise this and doesn't understand why just the thought of it hurts but it does and it’s keeping him as awake as his other thoughts. But as the night ticks on and his eyelids are heavy, the ache in his head because of its need for sleep…Dean still thinks and he slips under to the phantom touches he wishes were there. 

 

 

*******************************

Something seems to of shifted, he doesn't seem to of remembered when it had but it’s there now and it feels natural. They touch more and not just a friendly pat or humorous elbow you give a friend (although those were included) but their fingers brush when they pass something over, they brush shoulders as they walk through aisles of desks, the amount of times they've caught each other looking at the other is countless and altogether its become a very strange but natural act. Dean can’t really recall when he’d started doing all these things but to stop felt weird and out of the ordinary, like almost feeling up your friend was normal.  
Some of the others seem to have noticed actually, Charlie smirks at him sometimes and Garth pats his shoulder with a reassuring smile and at first Dean had no idea what they were on about, every single time he'd frowned and gave them a weird look but now it makes sense…they must of looked like a bunch of fools.  
Dean is woken from his internal crisis of the day by a another timetable landing on his desk. A women he hadn't seen before looks down at him with a familiar look of degrading the British Men Of Letters have always given him…must be one of them then. The girl carries on walking so he looks down at the sheet. Turns out its a set of when they are aloud to arrange holidays and other important events throughout the year. They usually give you an amount of days you can take off within a certain holiday season, Dean had already sorted one for Sam and Jess’ wedding as well as the days before that which was fast approaching, they seem to have less days off this year which isn’t much of a surprise he’d known that Toni woman would've gotten at the days off, he’d half expected her to take away all of them. At least he still had the Friday and Monday coming up so he can spend a nice weekend with his brother and future sister-in-law. He smiled at the thought as he gazed down at where it was marked out in red on the calendar.  
He saw Cas get up from his seat across the room in his periphery vision. So what if he could notice Cas by his blurry outline?  
He was approaching so Dean counted down form ten before looking up because he was such a girl and didn't want to seem eager or creepy.  
“hey Cas” Dean says with a smile when he walks up, paper in his hand.  
“hello Dean” Castiel replies and sits sideways on the desk, Dean tries to ignore the proximity of his beautiful ass perched on the ledge. Dean snapped his eyes up with grin that he hoped looked more cocky than flustered. Castiel tilts his head with an inquisitive frown but says nothing.  
“got any days off any time soon?” Dean asks as he tries to look at Cas’ paper.  
“not for a while, you?” Castiel asks. Dean can’t help but smile happily.  
“yeah i’m going over to see Sammy and Jess before they get married” Dean says. Castiel smiles fondly.  
“that’s nice, when are they getting married?” Castiel asks.  
“mid June and they've got this nice venue in the woods near California and it’s all kinda like log cabins and wildlife, Jess showed me pictures and its actually more of an outside wedding near this waterfall with one of those arches that has flowers and all that crawling up, really cute” Dean says and then he notices the big smile across Cas’ face. He feels his entire face heat up and he clears his throat.  
“sorry, got a bit carried away…” Dean mumbles and Castiel chuckles that deep warm sound that always sends a shiver down his spine.  
“it’s fine, kind of cute actually” Castiel says and if he wasn't blushing hard before he was now, it had flooded down his body and his damn monkey suit felt too hot now.  
“ha thank you Cas” Dean says and Castiel shrugs.  
“I have chosen a day off coming soon, but just to relax” Castiel says. Dean appreciates the change in topic.  
“oh, what day?” Dean asks.  
“next week” Castiel says and Dean grins. Suddenly an idea sparks in his head and he bites his lip in thought, he could…maybe? What's it called that the kids are saying…yolo? Jeez he’s such a grandpa…  
“hey I was wondering, remember how I said Sam would love to meet you some day? Well i’m kinda seeing him this weekend so…” Dean says and looks down, kinda embarrassed.  
“are you inviting me?” Castiel says, Dean can’t tell through his voice whether he’s delighted or not so he looks up slowly.  
“maybe…?” Dean answers and he almost slouches is back in relief when he sees Cas smile with a little flush.  
“i’d love to, although I still work that Friday and it’ll take a while to get over there so…” Castiel with a thoughtful glance over at nothing. Dean shrugs.  
“call in sick” Dean offers and Castiel snorts.  
“we teenagers again?” Castiel asks. Dean chuckles.  
“you gunna chicken out because we’ll get in trouble” Dean teases back. Castiel rolls his yes but nods “you rebel” Dean says with a grin and slaps Cas’ thigh which he wished he’d savoured more than he had because the soft firmness was rather heavenly. Castiel laughs but with a stern look from Toni he tries to stop.  
“she’s just jealous that you've got friends” Dean whispers and Castiel laughs once more getting looks from others around.  
“did headquarters turn into a library during the night and I wasn't made aware” Dean mumbles making Cas snort.  
“a library is much more appealing than this place” Castiel replies and Dean rolls his eyes.  
“right I forgot, you probably only went to the library to read books, nerd” Dean says punching him in the arm with a wink. Castiel frowns  
“what else do you do in a library?” Castiel asks and Dean just smirks. Cas’ face turns into disgust and he smacks Dean lightly round the head “kids go to Libraries Dean what if they saw you?” Castiel asks, in a voice that almost sounds like a parents voice.  
“hey there’s places in a library for that kinda stuff” Dean says with a shrug. Cas’ mouth hangs open and Dean tries to muffle his laugh.  
“so there’s hotspots for having sex in libraries now?” Castiel replies and Dean only snorts as he hides his face under his desk. Cas hits him on the head again.  
“this is a new low for you Winchester” Castiel says and Dean looks up, still laughing. Castiel is too though and that soon seems to piss Toni off.  
“why don’t you grow up and get back to work, Castiel get back to your desk” she snaps and Castiel snorts quietly but gets up and walks away. Dean is still chuckling but that doesn't stop his eyes from tracking the movement of his ass as he walks away. 

 

********************************

When the Friday comes Dean is all giddy and wide awake by three in the morning. He felt like that time he’d been allowed on that school trip to a camp and he’d packed his belongings up and waited all night for the time when he’d get to the school bus. That was many years ago but that happiness still simmers under the wall of being a mature adult.  
The night was warm so he was sat on his bed in boxers eating noodles and looking over case files to pass the time, that sounds rather disgusting but it helps him focus and he may figure something out.  
Soon enough it was time to go pick Cas up who’d took some last minute convincing to lie. He doesn't know why he was so worried, he’d been in work non-stop pretty much the entire time he worked here so he doubts anyone will mind. Dean guesses it may be with the whole ‘obey or feel my wrath’ his strict uncle had instilled into him from a young age. Dean can’t blame him for that so he hadn't been too harsh.  
After washing the bowl he’d eaten the unhealthy breakfast from, he had a shower, brushed his teeth and splashed water on his face. He then got changed into jeans and a grey t-shirt as well as a camel coloured jacket that he’d probably take off at some point.  
The sun is already made its way into the sky, mid way and casting it’s morning orange glow over the pale morning blue of the sky. The air is fresh but the warmth is already clinging to it and will probably get worse as the day goes on.  
The roads are much clearer today so he gets to cas’ earlier. He parks behind Cas’ car and then steps out to go ring the buzzer for his apartment. The click of the lock tells him he can enter so he climbs up the dark narrow staircase to Cas’ door. That door is open too so he steps into his place. Cas’ home is pretty much how it was before besides the blinds are up letting the morning glow climb up the floors and cast shadows over the furniture and appliances.  
“good morning Dean” Castiel says from his place at the kitchen where he’s stirring a coffee. He’s in denim jeans with a dark grey shirt tucked in as well as a thick leather belt. Dean doesn't know why the image gets to him, he looks kinda like a cowboy he'd seen once and he’s always had a thing for cowboys.  
“would you like some coffee?” Castiel asks pointing towards the coffee maker as he sits down at the small table.  
“sure man, we gotta leave soon though” Dean says as he goes over to pour his own cup.  
“yeah, you’re early anyway so we should be fine right?” Castiel asks and Dean sits down then nods. They drink in pleasant silence, the scarce traffic outside the only other noise.  
“they know i’m coming then?” Castiel asks and Dean smiles.  
“yep, Sams exited said he loves I finally have a friend” Dean says with a fond roll of his eyes “even though he’s met Charlie about a million times” Dean carries on and Castiel chuckles before sipping his coffee.  
“I have one brother…alive” Castiel says. Dean can’t decipher how Cas had said that, it felt detached.  
“oh?” Dean says, inviting him to continue.  
“his names Gabriel, lives up in Michigan” Castiel says before taking another sip “he’s paralysed from the waist down” Castiel says. Dean raises his eyebrows in shock.  
“wow, sorry that’s probably rude…” Dean says but Cas only smiles.  
“not a problem, big character though and he got that bakery he always wanted…” Castiel says, seeming to not be aiming the comment at Dean, his eyes drifting off. Dean smiles and gulps down more of his strong cup of coffee.  
“you both uh…get separated when it happened” Dean says, hoping he doesn't sound rude.  
“he was forgotten almost, my uncle didn't want him…if you’re a control freak will you pick the obedient kid or the mouthy seventeen year-old?” Castiel asks rhetorically. Dean huffs a laugh, dark humour really.  
“so he was put into care?” Dean asks and Cas nods.  
“thankfully he wasn't in the system long, became an adult and made his own way, we kept in touch as much as we could with all that was happening” Castiel says.  
“that’s shitty man i’m sorry” Dean replies as he looks down sadly. Castiel shrugs like losing your family, living with your creepy uncle and never seeing you’re brother for the rest of your young life was nothing.  
“made him stronger, doesn't take any shit especially because of the whole leg thing” Castiel says and Dean nods. The fall into another silence, yet again the weight of the conversation filling the air.

 

After filling the car up with snacks and drinks so they didn't have to stop as much they headed off to California. Dean looks down at his watch and reads the time 7:58am. He grins  
“you rebel, should be in work right now” Dean teases as they head further away from Wichita. Castiel punches his arm but with a playful grin on his face.  
“this the first time you broke a rule Cas?” Dean asks and Castiel shakes his head.  
“pretty sure becoming friends with you was breaking some social norm” Castiel says and Dean lets out a loud laugh before nudging Cas.  
“that was brutal Cas” Dean says and he only smiles “what about that time you’d smoked weed, bet you got an ass beating for that” Dean says and Castiel smiles.  
“I was 14 and my neighbour, boy named Inias who used to talk me sometimes knocked on my window, our house were close and we had this little add on under my room so he'd jumped onto that. Anyway, he got me out of my room and started rolling one and obviously I had no idea what the hell weed was which made him cry of laugher for about half an hour” Castiel says with a smile “we were smoking it and he got up to leave but left the rest of the spliff for me so I finished it on my window ledge and then my uncle walked in, I tired to hide it all besides my window outside but he smelt it everywhere and I looked high as a kite” Castiel says and they laugh “he spanked me for that, twenty times” Castiel says. Dean gapes.  
“wait like bending you over his knee and everything, at fourteen?!” Dean exclaims and Castiel nods with a smile “oh man that’s fucked up” Dean says but they both started laughing.  
“I said he was creepy…he always preferred a hands on approach” Castiel says thoughtfully. Dean gives him a worried glance.  
“he didn’t…do anything did he?” Dean asks hesitantly. Castiel looks over and the back at the road.  
“no nothing that bad, came into my room at night sometimes, got a little handsy on some occasions but he never did anything worse” Castiel says, eyes distant. Dean gets an involuntary shiver of disgust at that.  
“still creepy as hell though” Dean says, a disgusted frown deep on his face.  
“I have to agree” Castiel says with a smile and they sit in heavy since for a bit before Cas begins looking through cassettes. Dean watches whilst trying to keep an eye on the road. Something felt nice and fuzzy watching Cas comfortably search through for a song to apply like he belonged there. Only Sam had ever really done that sort of thing since it took a lot of trust on Dean’s part to allow someone to pick the music, come to think of it even with Sam it was rare. He decides to ignore that he’d broken one of his many rules within driving his baby. Jesus he was going soft…

 

Night was fast approaching and Dean was getting tired so they decided to stop at a motel for the night. The motel was decent but the AC wasn't working so the blasting heat of the approaching summer was suffocating in the air.  
“gosh I might sleep nude…” Dean mumbled as a joke and Cas snorted form the doorway where he was brushing his teeth.  
“pwease don’t” Castiel murmured through toothpaste  
“hey asshole, it would be an honer for you to see what’s going on down here…” Dean says and circles around his crotch area making Cas roll his eyes. He spits out the toothpaste as Dean gets into a shirt, he’s only in that and his boxers not really caring about any boundary thanks to the heat. Castiel walks back out and gets changed as Dean gets into the bed.  
“you sure they won’t think i’m intruding on all of you…” Castiel comments hesitantly. He’s hesitant because this is about the thousandth time he’s asked and it’s driving Dean crazy.  
“seriously Cas, I told you they're cool with it” Dean says as he puts his phone on charge. Castiel gets into bed but sits up, the tanned back thick with muscle soft in the dim glow of the light. Dean watched as Cas anxiously picked at the wooden blanket he’d probably toss off soon. Though Dean is ashamed to say he wasn't really focusing on Cas’ anxiety….more on the flex of his muscles.  
“what if they don’t like me…” Castiel says making Dean snap out of his daze and then into a fit of laughter.  
“jeez we are back in high school, Cas this ain’t mean girls or whatever, chill” Dean says and lies back down, the cool pillow a small relief to the heat.  
“what is…mean girls” Castiel asks making Dean sit up with shock.  
“you haven't seen mean girls, I don’t even like it and I've seen it” Dean exclaims and Cas only rolls his eyes “you need to catch up man, we’ll get round to that some time but for now…sleep” Dean says and switches his own lamp off. Castiel huffs a laugh and turns his own light off and shuffle around till he settles.  
“goodnight Dean” Castiel says and Dean hums as he gazes out the window at the clear midnight sky.  
“night Cas…” Dean replies and soon enough his eyes feel heavy. 

 

 

_Dean opens his eyes to the soft touch to his elbow and he looks down to see deep green eyes and red hair.  
“you ok there buddy?” she asks and Dean frowns, blinking. He hears a waterfall now and birds as well as the rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze. The air is quite humid however and the sun beams down like tiny spotlights through the trees.  
“Dean” Charlie repeats and Dean looks down, remembering her presence. She’s in a strapless red dress with golden sequins decorating the left where it tightens. She looks nice with golden jewellery and red lipstick.  
“sorry, don’t know what happened” Dean says. Charlie gives him a reassuring pat and starts to guide him up a slope surrounded by trees.  
“must be those nerves, I mean it’s not your wedding but it’s a big deal so that’s understandable” Charlie says as they head up the path, the sound of water become louder.  
He’s at a wedding? Who’s?  
He carries on with the silent questions until they reach the top where there was a clearing. There was the waterfall coming from a decent sized cliff and a nice arch decorated in flowers of pinks to blues, there are chairs in rows with small cards placed on them, flowers line the edges of the also in-between and fairy lights are wrapped round the trunks of trees amongst the hedges besides.  
“isn’t it beautiful” Charlie says and Dean nods silently, caught up in a daze. What he didn't notice was someone at the corner looking down at a piece of paper, lips silently moving with the words.  
Dean then notices that it’s Sam…  
This is their wedding day…  
Dean stares in awe over at the man, his hair is combed back neatly and a light pink flower is in his breast pocket, his suit is black besides the cream coloured waistcoat and tie.  
“I think he wins at nerves, dudes been going over his lines for months…probably hears the speech in his dream” Charlie says but with a fond loving look in her eyes. That also explains his own suit and the whole set up, how he hadn't put it all tighter he’ll never know.  
“you should go calm him down” Charlie says quietly and pats his back softly before disappearing. Dean walks down the aisle and then right to where he can now hear Sam anxiously going through the words.  
“yo Sammy” Dean interrupts and Sam snaps his head up to look, a smile crossing his face.  
“Dean…” Sam says but goes back to the crumpled peace of paper in his hands.  
“how many times have you read that now?” Dean teases and Sam huffs.  
“shut up jerk” Sam says and Dean grins.  
“bitch” Dean says but takes the paper away from him “you don’t need this” Dean says as Sam gives him pleading puppy eyes, he resits it though and pockets the speech “I think you’ll know exactly what to say, or maybe you’ll be speechless but i’m sure Jess will love it anyway and will everyone else, we know you love her and no amount of rehearsing could express that” Sam smiles at him softly, happiness and love sparkling in his hazel eyes.  
“that was beautiful Dean” Sam says and Dean doesn't know if that was sarcasm or not but either way it makes his cheeks heat up.  
“shut up and get over here” Dean says and holds his arms out. Sam smiles broadly and swoops over for hug, almost winding Dean with his big form. Dean pats his back though and closes his eyes as he thinks, the warmth of his brother a comfort.  
He still doesn't know what’s going on, just a minute ago he was going to bed in a humid motel room with Cas and now his brother was getting married. It’s probably a dream of some sort but something feels so real…as real as the sense of dread coiling in his gut.  
They let go and Sam smiles  
“I…I’m so happy Dean, can’t believe I got this far, a house a dog and now a wife…” sam huffs in disbelief and looks around.  
“i’m proud of you Sammy” Dean says, throat dry and eyes wet. Sam smiles too  
“Sam, Dean!” someone shouts and they look over to find Jo with a broad grin “shall we get this party started or what?” Jo exclaims as a small orchestra sits down near the back in a half circle. Sam nods rapidly and anxiety floods back again. Dean pats him on the shoulder  
“you’ll do great Sam, how could anything go wrong?” Dean reassures before they get into position.  
When everyone is settled and the music starts, any chatter is hushed as they wait.  
Jo is in front with a basket of petals and Dean finds it so strange to see her in such a position, flowers were not really the way he’d describe Jo but she fits it well, so does the happy smile on her face. Then there’s Jess, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders as some of it tied up at the top under a tiara holding a veil, the dress has long sleeves of lace that go up into a high collar, the lace parts under her breasts to soft white silk that all trails behind , she holds flowers matching the one of Sam’s. She looks as beautiful as ever making Dean smile. Her father is not here but he had shunned the marriage as he’d never liked Sam for some odd reason, she seemed perfectly happy walking the whole way herself though.  
When they meet at the end there’s broad smiles and rosy cheeks and then the priest begins to speak. Dean tries to follow what they are saying but things begin to change, the beat of his heart becomes more prominent in his ears, his palms become sweatier as well as under the tightness of his collar. His visions is blurring and he has no idea why, the voices of Sam and Jess become murmurs as his vision spins…and then it’s black._

__

__

_When he comes back around the ring in his ears and the pain all on his body makes him groan in pain. He goes to touch his head but when he feels his finger against his forehead a sticky wet liquid is attached, he frowns and tries to stop making the world spin when he opens his eyes.  
He sits up slowly which makes everything swirl and turn even more, Dean blinks and and then finally things begin to settle. He can hear the sound of the waterfall which calms him somewhat but that’s the only sound…it’s too quiet and from his experience that’s never a good thing. He pays attention to his hands again and he almost chokes when he sees the red coating his hands as well as his nice suit, he checks by smelling it and the fowl coppery smell confirms it.  
He looks up and his heart almost stop when he sees everything.  
Blood  
lots of blood  
He doesn't know why that’s what he picks out first but there it is, then the bodies…Jess’ relatives and friends lie or sit in positions of death, frozen with horror and pain on their faces.  
“no…what?” Dean exclaims as he stands up clumsily or weak legs. He looks around at the bodies of everyone, his body locked in shock as he doesn't know what to do, his emotions seem to of locked down and only the sound of that damn waterfall can be heard, driving him nuts.  
He doesn't want to look, he’s avoided looking that way, he fears what will be there.  
He does though and he feels his lip wobble as he looks at them, Sam and Jess lying dead on the dirty ground covered in blood and fear. His gut roils in displeasure, feeling as if he might sick which makes him clutch at his stomach.  
But then he feels something hard in under his jacket so he puts in a wobbly bloody hand into his jacket and then plucks it out of where it was tucked in his pants.  
“n-no…” he sees the knife caked in still dripping blood in his bloodied palm. The another noise, he looks up to see Jess, her eyes half lidded but pain and fear makes her look alive.  
“Jess…” he says quietly and begins to go forwards but she flinches back despite the clear pain she's in. Then he realises the fear is aimed at him…_

 

 

“DEAN!” the sound assaults his ears and makes him gasp for air. The rooms is spinning again and his ears are ringing.  
“Dean hey…” someone says again, the deep richness of their voice reeling him back in.  
“uh…wh-what” Dean stutters out as his clear to Cas’ concerned face, both of the worlds colliding together. His skin feels wet and sticky making his heart spike in his chest before he realises it is only sweat and not blood seeping into his pours.  
“it’s ok just breathe, you’re fine just looks at me” Castiel says so Dean looks up at him, focusing on his deep blue eyes in the fuzzy light “it was just a dream Dean, everything is fine” Castiel says, his mellow voice calming him slowly.  
“is Sam is…” Dean tires to form a clear sentence but his words catch in his dry throat.  
“they’re fine, can you sit up a bit?” Castiel asks and Dean nods slowly. Cas props up his pillow and makes sure he’s comfortable and then stands up.  
“i’ll get you some water” Castiel says and then heads over to a bag with some drinks in. Dean looks around, his skin was still hot and a slight tremor was going through him. Thank god it was just a dream…but it felt so real, he could hear and feel the whole experience and even it may just be him swaying between sleep and the real world if feels like an experience he’d just had. The nightmare had the same theme as any other time but something about it felt different.  
Castiel walked back over with a bottle of water which he hands over. Dean takes it with a nod and starts to gulp it down.  
“it’s not that cold so I hope it’s alright” Castiel says as he sits on the edge watching him. Dean finishes the drink and looks down at the bottle instead of up at the questioning stare Cas is bound to have.  
“you should get some rest now, we have a few more hours before we should get back on the road” Castiel says and stands up.  
“thanks…” Dean mumbles out. Castiel turns and Dean gives a quick glance up to see a timid smile on Cas’ face.  
“no problem, now get some sleep or i’ll drive baby tomorrow” Castiel says which makes Dean put the bottle on the nightstand and switch off the light. He hears Cas chuckle as he gets back into bed which makes a sense of calm wash through Dean at the deep voice. He’s grateful Cas didn't ask about what happened, he was already mortified by the experience. He eventually drifts into a light sleep to the sound of crickets outside the window in the early morning air and the even breaths coming form the other man.

 

The next day they don’t talk about it, Cas gives him concerned looks occasionally as they get a cheap breakfast from a 24 hour place. Dean doesn't know if he should apologise or say thanks to Castiel again, so instead he stays quiet. Cas doesn't push him and for that he is grateful.  
They do eventually get back into the normal swing of things and for the majority of the way down he explains to Cas about Sam and Jess. They lived in a nice family house in some suburban area in Los Angeles, Jess owned a business with a friend which was a salon but also had a special service to go around and just do the job at your home, that also meant a lot of extra cash. Thanks to Sam going to Collage which caused one of the biggest arguments between John and Sam, he’d started going back to law, he already had a small job in a big firm and he’s hoping to work his way up to good position, Dean believes he can do it. This meant they could afford a nice place where they are hoping to raise a family when possible. Dean was extremely happy for his brother, he's got the dream life even if that meant leaving his older brother, Dean was big boy though and could handle himself.  
“did you ever think of settling down like that?” Cas asks as they drive past rows upon rows of houses. Dean chuckles and shakes his head.  
“no, not really for me you know?” Dean says as he takes in the parks and lakes they go past.  
“no, why not?” Castiel asks. Dean shrugs  
“i’d never find the right person for starters and I haven't got good enough qualifications to get any other job, I was lucky to become part of the FBI so anything else would be impossible” Dean says as he looks at street names for the right road.  
“I guess that’s understandable, I don’t think I could settle down either” Castiel says and Dean hums.  
“we’re a perfect match aren't we?” Dean jokes and Castiel huffs in response.

Dean parks in the drive next to a white Lexus and cuts the engine.  
“jeez Sammy, got the car and everything” Dean mutters but Castiel hears it and laughs.  
“it’s like you’re offended by any car that isn't your own” Castiel says and Dean shoves him lightly when they meet at the trunk.  
“I can appreciate a classy car, but that thing I don’t” Dean says. Castiel shakes his head as he gets out his bag.  
“it would be strange for a lawyer to be going round in some classic car that they don’t even make anymore Dean” he says and Dean scoffs.  
“how dare you Cas, I'm offended” Dean says and Castiel grins. They head to the door which is in a little alcove besides the garage, besides it are bed of bushes and few small palm trees and a small white gate leading towards the back. Dean uses the door knock and after a few seconds the door is opened to jess who’s already smiling.  
“Dean” she exclaims and reaches out for a hug.  
“hey Jess” Deans says and hugs her back “good to see you” he says and let go.  
“great to see you too, this must be your friend” jess says when she catches Cas standing awkwardly besides Dean.  
“yeah Cas this is Jess, Jess this is Castiel” Dean says and they smile at each other.  
“hello” Castiel says and Jess waves.  
“hey, i’ve heard so much about you” Jess says and Dean goes a little red at that.  
“same with you” Castiel replies and they both laugh the bastards.  
“is this all your bags?” Jess asks as she steps aside to let them directly into the sitting are, the entrance has tiles before reaching carpet where a cloak stand and a shoe rack are sat besides a potted plant. The stairs are to the left and curve up towards the upstairs and straight forwards is a table as well as some cabinets, a carpet underneath and a few pictures on the walls.  
“Sam’s in the kitchen making some breakfast, you can leave your stuff near that couch” Jess says. They take off their shoes and out their duffles besides a dark leather couch. They head past the stairs and to a door besides the dining room, into a kitchen. Windows line the wall facing the yard letting in loads of light where Sam is cutting fruit up on a chopping board. The island in the middle hold the oven and at the end of it is another table and beyond is french doors out into the garden that are open, letting a gentle breeze in. Sam looks up and grins  
“morning Sammy” Dean greets and Sam puts down the knife to go over and hug him “don’t get none of that juice on my jacket alright” Dean says and Sam laughs before pulling him into a hug.  
“its been so long” Sam says and let him go, Dean grins and nods.  
“you still eating rabbit food though” Dean says and Sam rolls his eyes.  
“yeah, yeah now are you gunna introduce me to your friend” Sam says and Dean nods.  
“this Cas and Cas this is my brother” Dean says and they both shake hands with smiles.  
“Dean talks about you so much I feel like I know you already” Castiel says and dean goes bright red.  
“hey” Dean says and punches his arm, the other two laugh and jess squeezes past to finish the food.  
“was the trip alright?” Sam asks and they nod “Dean didn't blast his music the whole time did he?” Sam asks Cas but with a grin on his face. Castiel smiles and Dean pats Cas on the back.  
“actually, Cas likes my music so suck it” Dean retorts.  
“wow really? you should marry him Dean” sam says with a grin. Dean rolls his eyes and Castiel blushes.  
“yeah we get that a lot” Castiel adds making the other laugh.  
“I bet you do” Sam adds quietly and exchanges a smirk with jess who’s putting strawberries in a bowl.  
“I’ll show you your rooms so you can out your stuff there” Sam says and they follow him back out. He points to a few rooms like the ground floor bathroom and then to the ones upstairs. Cas’ room looks out to the the neighbours and Dean’s faces out to the front. The rooms are nice and big, a little blank but their only spare for now with a few odd things like boxes they left.  
“we’ve got pancakes and fruit for breakfast so if you’re hungry?” Sam offers as they head downstairs.  
“that would be great” Dean replies and they had back to the kitchen where Jess is making pancakes.  
“we can eat them outside if you’d like?” Jess asks and they all nod.  
“can we help with anything” Dean asks.  
“you can help set up the table outside. They put a jug of orange juice, glasses and the bowls of fruit as well as cream onto a table out on the patio under a covering. The sun is soaring in the sky making it quite hot but the trees in some corners shade it somewhat so it’s bearable.  
“you have a very nice place Jess” Castiel says as he looks at the long stretch of garden and the trees bordering as well as the vast landscape from the high vantage point.  
“thank you Cas, we love it here” she says as she puts down some forks “you two can sit down we’ll serve out the food” Jess says. They sit down and appreciate the view as they wait for the food to be served.  
“they are very nice people” Castiel says and Dean nods.  
“damn straight” Dean says and pours some orange juice, the heat making him thirsty “they need to get some beer though” Dean says as he sips his drink.  
“for breakfast?” Cas asks, a looks of disapproval on his face. Dean shrugs and sits back. Sam and Jess come back out with plates ad they sit down.  
“top with as much as you want” Jess says and they start to eat.  
“how’s that case you’re on doing” Sam asks as he sprays on cream.  
“pain in the ass” Dean says as he spoons on some blueberries. Sam hums as he gets some syrup “did I tell you about those men of letters?” Dean asks as he gets a bit forkful of food.  
“I don’t think so” Sam says and Dean nods.  
“some British assholes have come over and taken control of out team, changed everything” Dean says as he eats. Sam hums as he eats in reply “and now everything just gotten bigger you know, this ain’t just blood thirsty vamps” Dean says and drinks some more juice “cant say anymore though, top secret and all that” Dean says with a wink. Sam laughs  
“yeah fine by me, I feel exhausted just hearing about it, glad I left” Sam says and Dean nods “so hows it going in your world?” Dean asks.  
“we finally got everything sorted for the wedding, we just need to do some rehearsals but that can wait for now” jess says, a smile fighting its way onto her face. Sam smiles over at her with sweet looks and then they continue.  
“Oh and Jess got into a fight with a customer” Sam says and Jess punches his arm. Dean grins  
“what happened, you dye a girls hair pink or something?” Dean asks. Jess rolls her eyes  
“a regular of ours, some snobby old woman who seems to despise anyone why doesn't have a bank account like her but always insists on me doing her hair every month” jess says with another roll of her eyes ”anyway, she started insulting me and I got distracted an spilt a load of conditioner over her face” Jess says making the others laugh “she was furious and we had a shouting match till a friend broke it up” Jess says with a smile.  
“i’m guessing miss snobby pants doesn't go back there anymore” Dean says and Jess laughs.  
“definitely not” Jess says and they continue to eat.

They spend the rest of the day nicely with few walks near the mountains and the drop into Jess’ salon as she had to check on a few things. Bones was currently in the kennels as they had to work and could keep him safe during the work hours, they collect him the next day. Jess says they could go to the beach as the weather is nice and Dean and Cas had never actually experienced a beach before, besides the times Dean came to visit. They buy some swimming trunks after getting some towels and other things then head down to the shore, there’s a bit of a cold wind right near the sea but that can be expected.  
They set up a place among other families and groups on the beach with towels, a cooler with beer in, an umbrella and a few other things. They wore their swim stuff under their clothes but no one heads straight out. Cas sits down, still in his top but he’d takes off his jeans, then starts to read his book. Jess is drinking a beer with Sam so Dean sits down and relaxes.  
“when was the last time you’ve been to a beach Cas?” Dean asks form where he’s sat up gazing at the waves crashing against the shore. Castiel doesn't answer at first and that’s when he notices a blush creeping up his neck to his face.  
“you have been to a beach right?” Dean asks, sitting up completely in intrigue.  
“i’ve never had occasion” Castiel mutter, eyes unmoving from the page in his book but not seeming to be reading it.  
“damn, you’re missing out, wanna go swim it’s actually quite fun” Dean says, he’s been wanting to go for a swim for a while now as he misses the cold salt water of the sea. Castiel shrugs  
“I don’t know about that” Castiel replies, not looking into his eyes at all. Dean slaps his arm lightly with a grin.  
“you scared of water or something, if it makes you feel better I’m afraid of flying” Dean says and dips his head to catch Cas’ eyes.  
“I’m not scared just…I can’t swim” Castiel whispers the last part and if Deans wasn’t unnaturally close he probably wouldn't of heard. Dean’s face softens up and he shuffles over a little to catch his eyes.  
“that’s alright man, I can give you a quick lesson in it if you like, doesn't take much” Dean says already standing up and brushing off some stray sand that had gotten on the blanket. Castiel looks up, looking embarrassed but Dean just grips his arm and drags him up.  
“mark your page and take your top off, come on” Dean says with an encouraging smile, trying not to falter when he told him to take his top off. Dean’s been having a lot of trouble not blatantly staring at Cas, he has very nice legs and Dean doesn't want to be caught looking at them.  
Castiel sighs and puts his book down and then pulls off his shirt.  
“happy?” Castiel asks sarcastically. Dean drags his eyes off his tanned toros and gives a cocky grin.  
“defiantly” Dean says with a wink, making Cas blush harder than he already was.  
“you guys going swimming?” Sam interrupts and they look over.  
“yeah just gunna teach Cas how to” Dean says. Castiel looks a little angry at him for saying it but Sam gives him a cheesy thumbs up with a smile.  
“you’ll be great Cas” Sam says and goes back to talking to Jess.  
Dean lightly shoves Cas forward so he’ll actually move and then follows him down to the shore line. Little kids are screaming and jumping in the waves with their parents in the shallow parts and people further out and splashing and diving around.  
“we’ll go over there” Dean says and point to a less busy patch of water where the water seems decent in depth from where he can see.  
The water is cold as they wade through quietly, Dean gives him a few smiles as they make it out trying to keep him comfortable as the water gets deeper.  
“it’s pretty easy when you know what to do” Dean says when they get their, their feet are just about on the ground so no one will drown.  
“easy to say when you know how to swim” Castiel reports looking grumpy, Dean just chuckles. They start off easy with just paddling around and luckily he’s a quick learner so eventually he can swim out without almost going under or Dean holding him lightly. They keep it all discreet, it would be rather awkward if someone saw a grown man learning how to swim and looking like they're getting groped by their friend, luckily everyone seems too distracted to see them.  
They swim out further until they're out of their depth and Dean grins  
“see, told ya you’d get used to it” Dean says and Cas gives a shy smile.  
Jess and Sam eventually come bounding into he water, despite Jess’ size she manages to be making as much of a splash as Sam, they're perfect for each other really.  
“hey” the couple say in unison making them both laugh. Dean rolls his eyes and splashes them in the faces. Sam screeches and splashes back and then they're all eventually splashing each other but Sam wins when he jumps up and his massive body sends a mini tidal wave over both Dean and Cas, making Cas almost drown. They relax a bit after that, Jess floats around on her back as Sam swims around her and the other two swim around as the day begins to turn to evening, they can still her others around but its distant allowing the lap of waves at their bodies as well as the seagulls screeching to surround them.  
“why didn't your uncle let you swim?” Dean asks as they float. Castiel looks out at the horizon in silence for a bit.  
“I think it was just one of the things he didn't like me to do, never told me any real reason why” Castiel says and Dean nods.  
“consider yourself lucky, my dad threw me in a river and told me to start kicking my legs” Dean says with a bitter smile. Cas looks over in shock and Dean chuckles.  
“that’s evil” Castiel says and Dean nods  
“yeah, my mom was having a mini heart attack when it happened, almost jumped in” Dean says as he thinks back to that day and how Sammy was just napping in the car.  
“your mom doesn't sound as bad, forgive me for asking but why did she do nothing?” Castiel asks, his voice hesitant.  
“she was conflicted I think, people may hate her for just standing by but she was powerless, what are you supposed to do when the love of your life isn't the same anymore” Dean says and Cas nods.  
“that makes sense” Castiel replies.  
“yeah, shall we head back in, i’m getting cold” Dean says and Cas nods.

Back on shore they eat some sandwiches with some still cold bears as they watch the beach slowly turn empty, a group of teens further up have a little group going on and they're pretty loud. jess and Sam are cuddled up under a towel as they eat, looking disgustingly cute.  
“guys tomorrow we have to collect bones from the kennels” Sam says and the others nods.  
“why’s he there anyway?” Dean asks.  
“last time we left him home he bit though one of the TV cables, the dumbass was lucky we’d turned it off” Sam says making Dean snort.  
“I thought he didn't like those places” Dean replies.  
“that was a different one, one of the workers was cruel” Jess says and Dean nods. Castiel yawns and leans back on his elbows to close his eyes. Dean can’t help but look down at the nice body that’s in front of him, the orange of the sun is warm against his already tan skin, the swimming trunks are now damp and tightening in a very nice way against what is underneath making his throat run dry. Cas is gorgeous, he wishes he could touch.  
“yo perv, you better just be appreciating his tan” Jess says suddenly and bats his arm. Dean jumps, feeling his cheeks heat up. The other two laugh and he scowls at them.  
“I wasn't looking at anything” Dean grumbles before looking back to see questioning blue eyes. Dean just shakes his head and looks back at the sea.

 

Once they're back at the house, both Dean and Cas are dead on their feet, after a long drive and day they need some rest.  
“sleep well guys, see you in the morning” Jess says before she heads into the living room. They both make a small grumble of goodnight before heading to their own rooms.  
Dean can hear the loud sound of crickets from the window as he stares at blank walls, he’s got a little sunburn on his shoulders that’s stinging like a bitch which makes sleep a little harder to catch. He starts thinking of course, his mind always reminding him of dumb things when he should be sleeping. What was strange through the day he noticed was Jess and Sam exchanging glances when him and Cas interact, it started with the whole marriage thing that morning and carried on to other times like when he was holding Cas after he’d almost drowned after Sam's canon ball. It makes him frown, what were they thinking? Damn he hates those looks couples exchange like code, always makes him tense. Why must they best good at commutating? it makes him nervous. Maybe they think somethings going on with them? he hopes not, Sam knows about him liking guys and so does Jess but that's not what he’s worried about, they've always urged him to find someone that someone to settle down with and Cas (no matter how much he wishes) won’t be that person, the dude isn't even ready for kissing and the fact they work together makes everything so complicated. It makes him restless despite his tiredness, he doesn't want to settle down he’s not the right sort of guy. The night continues like that until he eventually falls into a light sleep as bad thoughts plague his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again apologies, I found this chapter hard to write because I didn't like the way it was going but here it is. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> I know its been a while but did the finale make you cry? maybe I'm just weak af but I was balling.


	18. Chapter eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my beta AngelisticSatan for going through the chapter!

The next time Dean wakes up is to talking coming from the corridor outside his door. He rubs at his eyes and looks at a clock propped up on a box in the far corner, if he squints he can see it’s around nine in the morning. The white blinds are closed but sun beams through the slats into the dim room. He’s sweating slightly despite only being in boxers and half of the covers kicked away from him. The room is humid, the air sticky and uncomfortable. He didn't get much sleep last night which makes his head ache and his muscles hurt from all the tossing and turning so he sits up, sleep not being something he can get to today. Then there’s a knock at the door.

“Yeah” he says after clearing his throat.

“Morning Dean. We’re gonna start making breakfast and we’ll head off to get Bones so come down when you can” Jess says and Dean nods then remembers she can’t see him.

“Yeah I’ll be down in a minute” Dean says.

“Okay, you should wear shorts today it’s gonna get even hotter” Jess says and she laughs when he groans. Dean slowly gets out of bed and heads to his duffle to get out the one pair of shorts he owns and ever will, Dean doesn't do shorts.

He heads to the bathroom opposite with his clothes and a toiletry bag so he can take a shower to get off all the sweat. The showers probably the best he’s ever had, the water pressure is brilliant and the temperature is just right as well as there being enough room to move around.

When he gets down Cas is helping Jess with some white looking omelets that make Dean grimace.

“Mornin’ “ Dean greets and they all greet him back. Dean’s eyes linger on Cas’ shorts, its not that they're weird or anything but to see Cas in shorts is rather a shock.

“Have a good sleep?” Sam asks he pops a grape in how mouth from where he’s looking in the fridge.

“Yeah it was alright, hot though” Dean says and leans against the island.

“Yeah we haven't gotten the AC to work properly yet. We can probably find you a desk fan somewhere in the meantime” Sam says as he closes the door.

“Thanks Sammy” Dean says with a grin which makes Sam roll his eyes at the name. “Great shower by the way, been a long time since I’ve had more than a foot of space to move around” Dean says making the other laugh.

They eat inside where they have a fan set up, the garden being too hot and then they head out to get Bones. The dog is very exited to see them, especially the new face as he jumps almost as high as Cas to say hey. Dean laughs at him until the dog starts jumping on him an he gets dog smell all over himself. Bones is a nice dog though and means well, Dean has a little soft spot for the dog, especially when he gives little whines and puppy eyes if you stop stroking his head.

“He’s probably quite energized so we should take him on a walk to get him tired” Sam says as they drive back home.

After they've almost downed themselves in sun cream and got caps for everyone as well as water, they head out to go for a walk. Jess waves at some people as they go up a dirt track, men and women power walking and other dog walkers. Dean never really liked all that crap, they all seem to bright and eager. “What’s with all the health nut crap as well?” he says that to Cas who laughs and calls him lazy.

“It’s funny, I remember Dean bitching about you a lot all those months back” Sam says to Cas which gets a glare from Dean.

“I don’t blame him” Castiel says with a smile.

“I don’t think you were that bad, Dean tends to get petty” Sam says making Castiel laugh.

“You guys are evil. I’ll go talk to Jess, at least she likes me” Dean says.

“Told you” Sam murmurs to Cas and Dean gives the finger as he walks up to Jess who’s getting dragged by the dog.

They sit down under a tree with almost no leaves but with enough shade, they drink some water and Sam gets out some health bar that makes Dean cringe. Jess has tied the Bones’ leash around the thin tree trunk so he won't run off and go bother other walkers.

Eventually Bones gets too tired and hot so they head back as well as to cool down. There isn't much to do in the heat besides lounge about to keep cool so they decide to rest up and maybe head back out to eat. Jess gets out a few board games to pass the time, they play scrabble which Sam and Cas are very good meaning they end up having some smarty pants conversation that bores Dean. They play monopoly as well which obviously ended up with someone getting pissed off so they watch a few movies (as well as mean girls so Cas would understand what he was talking about) until they get hungry so making sure Bones is safely out in the garden with food and water until they get back and then they go out to find a place.

After getting through busy traffic and looking through google for a place to eat they end up at a nice seafood place that Dean didn't know he would like but the fish is actually very nice. Sam and Castiel end up talking about something again so him and Jess talk more about the wedding.

“You know maybe by next month he’ll be your boyfriend and not just a friend so he can be your date for the wedding” Jess says with a wink. Dean blushes hard.

“Shut up, we’re not like that and he’s invited?” Dean says. Jess smirks.

“You don't look at each other like you’re friends and yes he is, Cas is nice and technically he could be your plus one” Jess says and sips her gin and tonic.

“Can you have plus ones for weddings?” Dean asks and Jess just shrugs.

“Just make sure he has a nice tux” she says.

“That shouldn't be a problem, he’s got some nice outfits back in Kansas” Dean says remembering the suit he’d worn to that dinner once when they…yeah.

“You’re blushing, what are you thinking about?” Jess asks in a teasing tone that means trouble.

Dean shakes his head and starts to finish his food. Jess punches his shoulder lightly and laughs.

“What, he looks that hot huh?” she says which gains the attention of Sam who gives her questing glance. Her eyes dart to Cas for half a second which makes Sam grin before going back to a confused Cas.

“Don’t be shy” she says making Dean glare. Jess only laughs harder.

“It’s not funny” Dean grumbles and Jess pats his back.

“I’m sorry Deano, I’ll stop teasing you about your crush” Jess says, the last bit quieter so the others can’t hear. Dean feels his cheeks heat up even more, he doesn't have a crush God dammit!

They end up taking a walk besides the beach. It’s cooled down a bit now and there’s a breeze across the sea. Sam and Jess have linked their arms, walking in front, her silky blue dress glows slightly in the dark.

“California is very nice, I’ve only ever passed through” Castiel says as he looks out at the water crashing down onto the sand. Dean hums.

“Yeah its nice, too hot for me though” Dean says.

“Kansas gets pretty hot” Castiel replies making Dean hum again.

“Not as bad as here, certainly not every day anyway” Dean says “Oh yeah, Jess said you could come to the wedding if you’d like” Dean says which makes Cas look over in shock.

“They hardly know me” Castiel says with shock. Dean smiles and shrugs.

“They like you and you’re friends with this cool guy so of course you invited” Dean says pointing at himself. Castiel laughs and wipes fake tear.

“Wow, that joke was actually funny Winchester” Castiel says and laughs harder when Dean shoves him. They fall into comfortable silence as they make their way down, only the crash of waves and the hustle of the city around them. Its a clear night he notices, all the stars slowly start to appear the more he looks which has always interested him. Then he remembers that dream he had once about start gazing. He blushes but Cas hasn't noticed, Dean still can’t believe he had that dream and that he still remembers it clearly unlike his others. What makes this one feel different as well is the fact that the dream only leaves a pleasant warmth within in him (ignoring the embarrassment of course) unlike the nightmares which make him want to be sick with worry, fear and guilt. He looks over at Cas, he’s clean shaved today, his long eyelashes leave shadows under his eyes from where overhead lights glow. HIs hair is even more wild today, it’s partly the heat as it looks a little shiny with sweat and it looks like Cas has run his hands through it a lot. Then he looks back at him and only smiles at him which Dean returns with only a little embarrassment from being caught.

They spend some more time watching movies with Bones taking up a large part of the couch so Jess and Sam sit on the love seat and the other two take the rest of the space. They've got The Shining on which is very enjoyable and as usual Cas hadn't seen the movie so Dean found it fun when he sometimes jumped.

“You’ve taken the heads off of vamps but when that dude gets jumped you almost fly out of your own skin” Dean whispers to Cas. He may have gotten closer than was necessary to whisper in his ear but he decides not to look into it, neither does Cas who only glares at him meaning they're almost nose to nose. Dean smiles and can’t help but look down at his pink chapped lips that are full and tempting in the light of the TV. Dean pulls back before he can lean in (maybe fall in would be a better description) and stares back at the screen where the little boy is running through the maze. Cas doesn't say anything, just leans back and maybe a little closer to the warmth of Dean’s side. Whilst Sam observes the whole thing…

 

He successfully falls asleep that night, they’d gotten him a fan which was whirring in the quiet room but it keeps him cool. He dream once again but not of killing but of Cas… This one is a little different, no stargazing but sex and not just some rough lust filled session but it’s slow, intimate and everything that sex with Dean Winchester usually isn't. It’s nice though and even when he discovers its Cas who he’s trailing his fingers down and fingering open, it doesn't make him go into doubt. In fact he wakes early in the morning to a….problem, so not to mess with Jess and Sam’s sheets he goes to the bathroom to relieve himself, thinking of gripping thick locks of chocolate brown hair and sliding his body against the other man. It feels very good to finally sort himself out, he hadn't had sex in a while he remembers and puts that down to the fact that he just hasn't found anyone good enough recently and not because of a specific someone.

They go into the city the next day for something to do, they show Cas the walk of fame, a museum and they go shopping for a bit for mementos and so on. They have a very nice day, they eat different food and enjoy some walks. It’s their last day as they head back tomorrow, he got a few texts from the other asking about the trip and that Toni is gonna have Cas’ head for skipping so she seems to not have bought the sick excuse. Castiel seemed a little worried but Dean assured him that she can’t do anything too drastic. They go back to the beach again in the evening to cool off, Jess brought a Frisbee and the dog this time so it was much more energizing, Bones liked the cool water and went round licking people’s faces. Someone said they shouldn't have their dog here but they just avoided that woman as she swam up and down the beach.

“What time will you be leaving tomorrow?” Sam asks as they both sit on the towel, relaxing.

“Around six maybe” Dean says and smiles. It’ll be weird not seeing his brother again and having to go back to work isn't exactly what he’s looking forward to.

“You know I did a little research on the men of letters, I’ve still got access to my account from the FBI” Sam says making Dean snort.

“Of course you did research” Dean says fondly. Sam shakes his head but he’s smiling.

“Anyway, Turns out that our grandparents were part of the men of letters” Sam says “It ends at our dad’s dad, remember how he left in the night once, turns out he went missing or most likely dead in some fire” Sam says. Dean looks over shocked.

“Seriously?” Dean says and Sam nods.

“That legacy ended at him, they were all killed off or never had any kids so they couldn't continue it, dad obviously had nothing to do with it and it’s kinda funny you know, how he ended up in it somehow anyway” Dean nods, biting his lip.

“How come we’ve never heard of them before?” Dean asks and Sam shrugs.

“It was pretty well hidden, there were only a few cases of it in the databases and they were pretty vague” Sam says “There was a letter found once saying about there being bunkers all around the world which holds all their knowledge about the supernatural, it sounds cool” Sam says and Dean rolls his eyes.

“Of course you find it cool, it’s basically a cult which reads books you'd fit right in” Dean says making Sam laugh.

“Whatever Dean, those places would be helpful, the amount of lore, spells, cures that they would have, it would be bigger than the one the feds have” Sam says. Dean nods, guess it would be important. They watch Jess and Cas, still in the water and splashing about.

“I’d watch out, he’s gonna steal your fiancé” Dean says making Sam laugh.

“I don’t think I have to worry about that” Sam says and Dean smirks.

“Sure, Cas is catch” Dean finds himself saying and not meaning to but its too late. Sam bursts into laughter.

“I knew it” Sam says and Dean shoves him so he falls over, still laughing “I really don't have to worry, Cas is your man” Sam says and Dean slaps him round the head.

“Shut it Samantha” Dean scolds. Sam only carries on laughing.

“But seriously” Sam says sitting up. Dean rolls his eyes and fiddles with the tassels of the towel he’s sitting on “you like like him” Sam says “I think he likes you too”

“It’s complicated” Dean says making Sam snort.

“Whatever man, don't be stubborn though” Sam says. Luckily he’s finished teasing Dean when the other two come back up. Dean gives Cas at towel who slumps down besides him with a grin.

“Have fun?” Dean asks, not being able to hold back the smile at Cas. He’s even more tanned now much to Dean’s pleasure.

“Yeah, I didn't know it would be so much fun” Castiel says with a childish glint in his eyes which is understandable, he never got to have such childish fun when he was young so he completely supports it. They had a lot more snacks than before which they enjoyed as the sun slowly began to set, little bugs were occasionally hopping across the sand and the waves crashed gently. Cas is rubbing his feet together as the sand has clung to his wet skin after walking back out, Dean just chuckling. Bones was napping besides Sam who had one hand stroking his head while the other smoothed down Jess’ back. Cas is shivering now, he hasn't dried off properly yet so he’s not wearing his clothes.

“Dude, rub the towel against your skin that’s how you dry yourself” Dean says teasingly. Cas glares which is just funny because his hair is wet and in his face making him look like a grumpy cat. He does start rubbing though and then after does the awkward challenge of getting out of damp trunks, Dean covers him with an extra towel to help.

Soon they're driving back to Sam and Jess’ place, the streets are busy as usual and the lights are beginning to come on. Kids are still playing in the parks in their neighborhood as well as some people getting tans or sitting in the shade to cool off. It’s a nice place, if Dean was set up for this kind of thing it would defiantly be a mini heaven. Cas is still trying to dry his hair more, it’s so thick that just rubbing it with a towel doesn't work, Jess offers her hairdryer when they get home which makes Dean laugh and Cas eats dinner with still damp hair.

“I could make you some food for the road, I know all you’ll be eating is crappy gas station food” Jess says and takes a sip of her wine.

“Hey, you’re judging my way of life there” Dean retorts lightly which makes them laugh “Nah, you don't have to do that, we’ll live” Dean says with a smile as he cuts into chicken.

“No really it’s fine, honestly I’m doing you a favor, all that processed food doesn't do you any good” Jess replies.

“You forget we live in America” Castiel says suddenly which makes them all crack up.

“Crack more jokes like that more often Cas” Sam says with a grin.

 

The next day they set off early with a nice cool box of fresh snacks and drinks. Sam and Jess had reassured Cas he could come to the wedding which made him smile bashfully and then hugs were exchanged before they were driving off with the sun already rising.

It was humid despite the slightly dark morning but luckily the night air was still lingering making it fresh and more reliving. The had the windows rolled down slightly and they drove in silence, the silence nice enough.

“I’m already dreading work” Dean complains for the fourth time, Cas just hums in approval as he stares out the window, head resting on his hand as he looks at the dried fields and trees. He’s wearing a white polo shirt today, something Dean never thought would look good.

“I got a text saying I better be in work tomorrow” Castiel says, his phone is gripped with the tips of his fingers as he rolls it on his thigh. Dean raises an eyebrow.

“Seriously, dude you’re fucked” Dean says with a grin and he feels they heavy glare on the side of his face, looking to the right he’d felt right “What?” Dean asks.

“Considering you persuaded me to call in sick, you shouldn't be laughing” Castiel says and Dean hums in fake sympathy.

“I’m sure headmistress Toni won’t spank you that bad” Dean says and Cas punches him hard in the arm.

Dean waits for the tank to be filled up enough, Cas is munching away at a turkey sandwich which Dean insisted (more like threatened) to eat outside the car so he’s against the back door chomping it down.

“That good huh?” Dean teases and Cas glares.

“Why must you always insist on teasing me?” Castiel asks and Dean just shakes his head, taking out the funnel.

“Okay, hurry up and finish that or I’ll leave you here” Dean says goes around to the driver’s side.

Castiel nods so Dean gets in to find where he put his wallet. He leaves Cas their as he goes to any for the gas, a bored Gas n’ sip employ is chewing gum and playing a game on his phone. he spots a nice slice of pie left still so he asks for that too.

Castiel has finished his food by the time he gets back so they head straight out, back onto the road.

 

They get back late, around twelve at night. Dean is dead on his feet but he needs to drive Cas back. The cool night air of Wichita is much more of a relief than California despite the pollution that warms the air, it’s better though.

“You sure you'll be ok driving?” Castiel asks when they stop outside Cas’ place.

“Really Cas, its only twenty minutes or so” Dean says, they've already had this conversation.

“A lot can happen in twenty minutes” Castiel says, he looks worried. Dean smiles softly and pats Cas’ shoulder.

“I’ll text you when I get back, if you’re that worried” Dean says and Cas blushes but nods his head slightly. Dean gets out as well so he can get Cas’ stuff out of the trunk.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then” Dean says as he hands Cas his bag. Castiel smiles.

“Yeah, I had a nice time. Your family are very nice people” Castiel says and Dean grins.

“Damn straight, you said any different and we couldn't be friends” Dean says with a wink. Cas chuckles and gives little awkward wave that Dean does back, both blushing.

“Night, drive safe” Cas says and Dean smiles.

“Yeah night Cas” Dean says and watches as Cas steps into his dark hallway before shutting the door.

Dean can’t be bothered to unpack, just chucks his duffle bag besides the steps up to his bed. He takes off his jacket and gets out his phone from his jean pocket, to send a text to Cas who replies with a smiley face.

He goes to find something quick to eat in his cupboards, he finds a pop tart Charlie must’ve left at some point. He heats it up and sits down to watch some late night TV.

 

*********************

 

His phone starts beeping loud from its place on the kitchen counter, making a racket on the stone.

Dean groans from where he’s sitting, back aching as much as his neck. Something falls to the floor with a clatter. Dean rubs at his eyes, the alarm still going off.

“Shut the fuck up” Dean complains and throws a couch cushion somewhere making something else fall to the floor. Slowly he sits up, his muscles complaining. He looks down at the plate on the floor, crumbs scattered in the rug which makes him rolls eyes, he’ll have to hoover later.

He must’ve fallen asleep on the couch, the TV is still on but the channel isn't on anymore as it only being a late night one. The alarm is still going so he gets up to switch the damn thing off.

The cushion is lying on the floor besides some book that had fallen. He turns off the screaming thing and the savors the nice silence after it.

He heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth and have a shower as he stinks and his teeth must have literal sugar clinging to them thanks to the snack he’d had last night. After a shower he goes to find a suit for work, sadly though his are all wrinkly or unwashed besides a few things. He grabs a shirt, a dark blue Henley top, woolen and frankly kinda gross. He gets on a pair of grey slacks and some odd matching socks. He makes himself some waffles and finds some syrup to put on them.

Things haven’t really changed since Thursday but then it was only two days off. Charlie finds him and then starts asking all sorts of questions about how his weekend went, Dean tired to avoid any moments with Cas specifically as she’d surely tease him.

“So how does Cas look in swimming trunks” Charlie says wiggling her eyebrows.

“Did you forget you were gay Charlie?” Dean asks and she rolls her eyes.

“No dummy, I want to know what you thought” Charlie says a features narrowing with smirk. Dean feels his face heating up.

“Well…he looks like a guy in swimming trunks, what do you want me to say?” Dean says, trying to come off as nonchalant but by Charlie’s grin it doesn't seem to be working. Just then the ding of lift goes and someone steps out.

Its Cas, he’s in that mac again which makes his skin look darker.

“Morning Cas” Charlie says and Cas gives a small smiles.

“Hello”

“Nice tan man” she says and grins over at Dean who glares back.

“Toni wants to see me” Castiel says and they both grimace.

“Good luck man” Dean says and pats him on the shoulder, making him glare “Whatever man” Dean says with a grin, knowing Cas blames him for it.

“We’ll see you later then” Charlie says and they watch Cas walk away.

At lunch Dean eats some of Charlie’s cold noodles as he'd forgotten to make himself lunch this morning. They're sitting in their office talking about some TV shows, Kevin went into a rant about something happening on The Walking Dead but he wasn't really paying attention. Then Meg is swinging on the door frame with her smirk as always.

“Boss wants to see you and your boyfriend” she says making the others snort. Dean rolls his eyes but he gets up, he’d been meaning to go see Bobby anyway.

Castiel is talking to Hester when he gets there, they seem to only be making small talk though.

Hester looks up “Winchester, took your time” she says and Dean grins “Head in, he’s been waiting” Hester says so they both walk in. Bobby is half spinning in his chair, looking down at a piece of paper but he looks up when they enter.

“Hello boys, take a seat” Bobby says and leans forward. They sit down opposite and watch as Bobby flips though a case file.

“We’ve got another case we’d like you to take on…but this one’s different” Bobby says and opens up the file where black and white shots of familiar faces are amongst others on a busy street. The vamps who are part of the council, or the two they met, their names were written in red. Sorento and Lenore.

“Them and a few others have been spotted up in Washington for this whole week, but not everyone knows” Bobby says with a pointed look.

“What do you mean, everyone” Dean asks.

“The British men of letters…and my bosses” Bobby mumbles making them gape at him.

“Uh-ok…How, why?” Dean asks.

“Well you boys ain’t exactly dumb, I’m guessing you’ve had your suspicions about where peoples loyalties lie” Bobby says and they look at each other and shrug.

“We’ve heard stuff” Dean says and Bobby just makes a noise of approval.

“They’re not exactly subtle, their complete lack of knowledge on how to track these guys doesn't fit these supposed assassins. Men upstairs are just the same, they talk about taking action but they haven't done anything, you’d be surprised how easy it is to find these vamps” Bobby says and lines up the pictures.

“How’d you get the footage without anyone knowing?” Castiel asks.

“People in surveillance like me, no trace of me even looking” Bobby says. Dean looks through sheets of names and numbers, addresses and number plates.

“How long you been at this Bobby?” Dean asks.

“The beginning of this month, but I’ve been looking into things when they first got here” Bobby says and then starts searching through stacks of files, retrieving an old brown one with a few old books falling apart at the spines with the pages thin and yellow from age. Dean notices the markings on the front.

“The men of letters. This holds all we know” Bobby says. Cas grabs the stuffed folder and starts to take things out “Don’t go through it now, do it on the drive up to Washington tomorrow” Bobby says and Dean almost whines in complaint.

“We just got back Bobby” Dean complains.

“You think the vamps are waiting for you to get some rest boy?” Bobby snaps and Dean slips down his chair.

“Were these in our archives?” Castiel asks and Bobby shakes his head.

“An old friend dug em’ out of somewhere” Bobby says “Don’t let anyone see these, I’ll get you guys off for another two days or so but make it worth it” Bobby says.

“You want us to kill em’?” Dean asks as he puts the photos away.

“If you think you can, might not be so easy” Bobby says and they nod “Now scram” Bobby says and ushers them out.

“Well then…” Castiel says and Dean hums.

“So did Bevell give you a spanking?” Cas just glares.

That night him and Cas head to Dean’s place, to read up on everything they've got. Dean makes them some snacks and they'll eat dinner later. Cas is looking around as Dean clears the small table where he’d left some plates and papers.

“Your place is so much bigger than mine” Castiel says as he puts the files down on the table. Dean snorts.

“No shit” Dean says and Castiel glares at him “Ok sit” Dean says and puts down some food.

Castiel grabs a sandwich (peanut butter and jelly, his favorite) and hums in approval. Dean eats a chocolate bar after taking off his jacket.

“Lets do some work then” Dean says and sighs at the small stack of information.

They read on and on until the sun had gone down long ago. It was worth it, from finding out the history of the American MOL to the pattern to where this vamp council has been meeting with other vamps. They found names of old members as well as Deans grandfather, all deceased.

“Doesn’t that make you and Sam men of letters” Castiel asks and Dean hums “You’ve always seemed like hunters though” Castiel says, brow scrunched in thought.

“Well if I can take a guess my mom’s side always seemed like hunters now that I think about it” Dean says.

“A men of letter married a hunter?” Castiel asks and Dean just shrugs.

“I guess, you know there’s a bunker out there with all the knowledge on every monster, witch and spell” Dean says and loosening his tie.

“Really?” Castiel asks shocked, light sparking in his eyes.

“God you’re just like my brother, yes it’s in one of these book how'd you miss it?” Dean asks and Cas just shrugs.

They end up watching some Disney movies because Cas has never seen a Disney movie in his life which is against his human rights. They make some burgers, just the frozen ones but they're good enough. Dean gets into an in depth talk about doctor sexy which Cas doesn't really contribute to but listens anyway. They forget about the time until they start yawning and check the time finding that its two in the morning.

“Wanna crash here, don’t think I can drive you” Dean says and Cas shrugs and then yawns.

“I don’t mind, I could call for a cab” Castiel offers.

“Nah just stay here” Dean insists, not wanting him to make such an effort. They clean up a little and Dean finds him something to sleep in but he just ends up in one of Dean’s shirts that was even too big for Dean so it hung of Cas almost like a shirt dress making Dean laugh, because he didn't like him in his tops…not at all. Dean grimaces at the couch, it’s not exactly soft or long, it wouldn't be comfortable.

“Hey Cas why don’t you just take my bed and I’ll sleep on the couch” Dean says and Cas frowns from where he’s folding his clothes.

“That’s not necessary, this is your home” Castiel replies walking over.

“Exactly and you’re my guest, so you get the bed” Dean retorts and Cas huffs then looks back up.

“I’m not going to win this am I?” Castiel asks and Dean shakes his head, pointing up to his bed.

“Go, don’t make me spank you” Dean jokes making Cas snort and he looks back with a smirk as he makes his way up with his phone and charger. Dean gets some blankets out of a cupboard which has the boiler and then gets a pillow from his bed, ignoring the site of Cas sitting in his shirt on his bed.

“Thank you Dean” Castiel says and Dean looks over from the couch.

“No problem man” Dean says and then goes to turn off the main light.

“Night Dean” Castiel says as Dean makes his way half blind to the couch.

“Night” Dean responds as he gets under the covers.

 

Only a few hours into sleep, Dean snaps awake when he suddenly falls making pain spike though his body. He grunts as he wakes up, his cheek plastered to the thin rug making crumbs stick to it. He groans and rolls over making him bash his head on the coffee table.

“Son of a bitch” Dean grumbles as he rubs his head and wriggles his toes trying to get the blood back in them from being cramped up on the couch. There’s footsteps and then Cas’ face appears, highlighted by the moon coming in though thin curtains.

“Dean…” Castiel whispers and Dean grunts again “C’mon up” Cas puts his hand out so with a little complaining Dean grabs it and they get him up. Cas grabs his pillow from the couch and starts to pull him towards his bed.

“Woah, no you’re sleeping there man” Dean says tugging them to a stop, Cas looks back the moon behind Dean lighting his face up in a cold blue.

“I know I am and so are you since the couch is tiny and you refuse to let me sleep there” Castiel says and gets them moving again, the wood below is cold like ice.

“We’re going to share a bed” Dean states with exclamation. Cas just nods and gets back on the bed, putting his pillow down.

“If you want to make a wall then go ahead but you don’t have to worry about me humping you in your sleep or something” Castiel says and gets under the covers. Dean stars shocked but blinks and then walks round to the other side “And we’ve shared a bed before remember?” Castiel adds.

“We didn't really have a choice” Dean says.

“There was a couch in there too you know” Cas says and then curls up under the covers without another word. Was there a couch? There's only one thing he remembers from that case and it was one of his stupidest mistakes ever.

He lies down, his own bed feeling somewhat unfamiliar to him now. The ceiling has cracks thorough it, the paint is chipping but it looks like the ceiling is about to fall on them. Castiel seems to have already gone back to sleep, he’s facing him and looks peaceful with his breath even and quiet. He finds himself watching for much longer than would be acceptable but he’s asleep so it doesn't matter. Dean wonders if he’ll ever get to hold Castiel, does Cas want to be with him? Or was it all a misunderstanding. It wouldn't work anyway, he tries to convince himself and he finds himself thinking like that for the rest of the night.

The next morning Dean wakes up with his arms wrapped around Cas’ waist with his head resting on his chest, like a pillow. The second he figures what that soft yet firm warm thing he was lying on, he sits up. He adjusts to the light coming into the room, it seems to still be night. His alarm isn't going off so he must’ve woken early.

Not being able to get to sleep again he tiptoes across the creaking cold floorboards to where he’d charged his phone in the living room. The clock reads three in the morning, he had a few hours left.

He trips over the odd shoe and end of a rug but eventually gets the kitchen, he’s pretty hungry. He knows his way round his kitchen so in the dim light of the early morning he puts together a ham sandwich to snack on, his mouth tastes kinda gross but he’s hungry so that’s irrelevant. He sits at the table, folders and books still covering it, and eats silently and thinking of nothing in particular.

After his sandwich he gets out his robe from the closet because its chilly like always. A song is stuck in his head which he hums through brushing his teeth and washing his face, he’ll have a shower later so he doesn't wake Cas up.

One of the lamps is very dim but gives you enough light, it sits on a little straw stool between where the couch ends and the wall meets. The shade on the lamp is a little wonky and never balances properly but it does the job.

With the new light he searches through the files, putting things away neatly, so he can find something to read to pass the time.

He finds an interesting book on witchcraft, it seems to be have been recovered from somewhere as the corners are singed and he’s pretty sure some splatters of blood cross over some of the yellowed papers as well as endless old bookmarks and dog-eared corners that will never go back into place.

The sun is starting to creep up, the lamp no longer needed as he opened the curtains. Right on cue his arm goes off as well as Cas’ but he leaves the others mans on so he wakes up. Dean decides to fry some bacon and eggs for breakfast, they have a long drive. He hears Cas groaning and eventually the sing song tune of his alarm is turned off and the creak of the bed indicates he’s sitting on the side.

“You alive over there?” Dean jokes as he flips the bacon over. Castiel only makes a noise of discomfort “I’ll make you coffee if you get up” Dean says and he hears the mans feet hit the wooden floor, he grins. Dean goes to refill the coffee maker Charlie had gotten him because apparently ‘what’s a home without a coffee maker’ . The sound of it brewing gets Cas walking down, he’s a mess to say the least.

“Good sleep?” Dean asks with a grin and Cas nods. His hair is at a complete disarray, his cheeks are flushed with warmth and his face looks sticky with sleep.

“Your bed is surprisingly comfortable” Castiel says and searches the cupboards for a mug.

“Really, the mattress is alright, bed creaks a lot though” Dean says as he checks on the food.

“I noticed, must be rather awkward under some circumstances don’t you think?” Castiel says with a tired looking smirk. Dean chuckles and takes out the bacon, putting it onto plates.

“That’s why I don’t bring them over and I’m usually out on the road anyway” Dean says rummaging through cabinets trying to find where he’d put the sauce. Castiel is sipping his coffee quietly leaning against the counter, looking no where in particular.  
Pplll  
“Be useful and clean the table up” Dean says as he finds some ketchup. Castiel hums and walks over to the flimsy table to clean off files and books. Dean stands with the both plates waiting for Cas to clean the table up with one hand, the other still holding his drink.

“Always put you down as a morning person” Dean says when he can finally place the plates down, luckily still steaming.

“Oh I’m full of surprises” Castiel says, voice still deep with sleep. He puts down his coffee next to a plate and then sits down. Dean sits opposite and dumps a load of sauce on the side of his plate.

“I need to get my stuff before we leave” Castiel says and he slices up the crispy bacon.

“Yeah no worries I don’t think Bobby gave us a specific time to be there” Dean says cutting into his eggs. They eat in silence after that with only the sound of forks and knives against the plates.

Castiel still looks kind of grumpy and half asleep but he’s woken up a bit. He’s also still in Dean’s shirt which Dean really tries to ignore but can't and it sends a fuzzy feeling down to his toes.

Dean packs his stuff up as well as all the files into an old brief case he’d found amongst clutter in one of his cabinets, it was dusty and worn but he felt kind of official having a black brief case with important files inside.

They each had a shower and then Castiel got back into his suit and Dean wore a pair of worn denim jeans and a grey shirt. They headed out to Dean’s car and drove to Cas’ place to collect his stuff and change out his wrinkled suit.

Dean waits outside in the car for Cas. The streets are already pretty busy, there’s taxis, cars and buses passing still with their headlights on as the sun is only just rising, the tall buildings hiding any real light creeping in. His phone starts to ring so he looks down to see its from Bobby.

“Have you fallen and can’t get up?” Dean jokes as his greeting. Bobby grunts in disapproval.

“Ain’t that old yet ya idjit “ Bobby replies “calling to say that your excuse for being off is I sent you on some ghost case to keep you both active, you’ve done a lot of desk work. They seemed skeptical but said nothing so try to keep everything low-key I'll try and keep any surveillance off of ya both but I can only do so much” Dean nods.

“Thanks Bobby, we’ll do our best” Dean watches as Castiel gets out of his apartment.

“You better other wise I’ll be in more shit than you, I ain’t getting fired cuz you’re loud and clumsy” Bobby replies. Deans snorts and the familiar squeak of the door tells him Cas is in.

“Ok I’ll call up in Washington” Dean says and Bobby grunts again the hangs up.

“Who was that?” Castiel asks as he buckles in.

“Bobby telling us our cover is we’re hunting a ghost so we need to keep low and with as little witnesses as possible” Dean says and starts up the engine. Castiel nods and then Dean pulls out of his spot to start the long trip up to Washington, Spokane.

 

It’s around eleven pm when they decide to find a motel. They're in Montana and have found a motel still available to sleep in, the sheets are stained and the showers dirty but it'll have to do.

Dean’s grumbling about the how overpriced such a shit hole was whilst Castiel was frantically trying to turn the volume down on the TV he’d been fiddling around with. Dean was just amused as some sex call show was on, the girl moaning as Castiel smashed the buttons on a remote that wasn't working. Someone’s already banging on the thin wooden wall but Dean doesn't care at the moment.

Nothing seems to work in this place, the air con isn’t running and the mini fridge isn't on either. Castiel had just pulled the plug out, why just finding the button on the TV he’d pressed to turn on hadn’t entered his mind Dean doesn’t know.

“I say we just hit the hay man” Dean says already unlacing his boots. Castiel hums and takes off his jacket.

Trucks and cars zoom past the motel, it being on the side of the main road out of town. He can’t really sleep as the sheets are rough and he feels uncomfortable under stained sheets despite the amount of time he’s spent in places like this. Castiel has been tossing and turning for the past hours or so, so he’s not asleep either.

 

After a sleepless night they head over to some breakfast place, it's signs buzzed in red in the early morning sun and you could see the activity inside.

Inside Dean orders a full English and Cas gets some pancakes again, blueberry.

“Sure like those pancakes Cas” Dean says as he fiddles with a salt shaker. Castiel just shrugs  
“I like them” Castiel says and they wait quietly for their food. The nice waiter who'd gotten there orders puts down the food giving Dean and extra big smile which Dean grins at.

“Thank you sweetheart” Dean says making the man snort but he blushes heavily. Castiel scrapes his knife against the plate as he cuts into his food.

Dean compliments the food as conversation but Castiel doesn't reply except for the complaint about the pancakes being undercooked. Dean is definitely confused as they fall into awkward silence on the way back to the motel, Dean with a number in his pocket.

They pack up their stuff and pack it all up into the car, thankful to say goodbye the motel. The sun’s come up by the time they leave Bozeman.

They get into Spokane around twelve. They know that there is some sort of meeting happening between the vamps and some ‘clients’. No suspicious deaths have been on the radar but a few more cases of people going missing, the trouble being that this is a city and people going missing all the time so seeing the difference is almost impossible.

Castiel hasn't really been talking, less of the cold shoulder but he’s not himself-well the person he is around Dean anyway, he seems to of put his statue face on which makes something pang with pain in his gut. He doesn't know what he’s done wrong, it was him right? He’s been with Dean for the majority of the time so it being someone else is unlikely. These thoughts plague his mind all the way to the hotel they'd reserved and as he flicked through daytime TV waiting for things to start up.

There wasn't much depth to their plan, they have no back up and only have the information that the vamps are here. Dean doesn't know what he should be doing, killing or spying? He's done enough of spying but will killing them be such a good idea? They're always in public places and Bobby said little witnesses as possible.

Dean sighs and switches off the TV and then glances out the window from his bed, he can see the building opposite and can hear the busy street below, sometimes the top of a lorry can be seen passing the window but no sight of the busy street , just this noise. It's a cloudy today making it cooler than it should be for the approaching summer.

Castiel comes back into the room (Dean hadn't known he'd left) pocketing his phone and then heading to where he'd placed his computer earlier.

“You get a call?” Dean asks and Castiel hums.

“Yes from someone working for Bobby, says they've heard where this meeting is being arranged from a bugged hotel room” Castiel says and starts to type. Dean gets up so he can look at the screen “They're arranging to leave around four, they mentioned a name and it seems that they have some sort of house out in a section of woods” Castiel says. He has a map up on the computer and seems to have found the area the vamps are going.

“We know which house?” Dean asks as there is quite a few houses out in that area.

“No but we know where they are right now and what cars they're in so we should follow them” Castiel says and Dean nods.

“Alright then when should we get going?” Dean asks, standing up from where he was leaning on the back of Cas’ chair.

“Not too sure, someone will get in contact with us when they start leaving, we should get a rental though….the Impala isn't exactly discreet” Dean grunts but knows it's the truth.

Castiel calls up a car rental service in the area and Dean starts to find some weapons suitable for the job. They haven't talked about why Castiel is like how he is but Deans patience is running thin, his curiosity becoming stronger.

Dean ends up asking when they get some late lunch, they find a small deli Castiel had dragged him into. They were sat on some stools eating sandwiches when he'd said it and Cas had looked sternly out the window before getting up, Dean and rolled his eyes but followed.

“Cas” Dean calls as catches up with Cas walking down the sidewalk to the car “Why won't you just tell me what I've done man” Dean says, trying to keep up with Castiel who was almost speed walking. Dean glares and then grabs him by the collar of his jacket, dragging him down an alleyway where there's fire escapes, bins and some ventilation thing letting out steam.

“Tell me” Dean orders. Castiel looks down at the sandwich crumpled in its paper bag. Dean angles his head so he can catch Cas’ eyes. That's when he notices a small blush to the other mans cheeks.

“It was irrational…I didn't mean to be mean I just….” Castiel trails off and swallows hard “I had no right to feel or act how I did. I'm the one that made this complicated and it's put you in a weird position and I'm-“

“Cas…you're rambling” Dean says which makes a smile want to tug at his lips but now is not the time. “You need to tell what happened, otherwise this excuse doesn't make any sense” Dean says and Castiel blushes harder.

“That waiter at the diner” Castiel says, it's fast but Dean catches it. At first Dean doesn't understand what he means but his eyes widen when he remembers…Cas was jealous. Dean bursts into laughter, leaning back and then crouching forward. Castiel has a very wrathful glare on his face but he's also as red as a tomato so Dean doesn't take it seriously.

“Urm that's Urm, why you were pissed, I thought I'd genuinely fucked up. Didn't know I'd made you jealous Cas” Dean says trying to be sincere but a big grin is still on his face.

“I wasn't-…it's just this-what we have, it's complicated and I just think the idea of you being with someone else was like cheating, that's how it felt but we are not together and I hold nothing over you, as I said my anger was irrational as it's my fault we've ended being in this complicated situation” Castiel says and doesn't meet Deans eyes.

Dean sighs and bites his lip. He didn't really think Cas would see it that way and Dean had convinced himself they were just friends for now, what happened was forgotten….apparently not.

He feels hurt in some way, Castiel doesn't think they're are together- well they aren't but….Cas is right, they are complicated.

“I wish I could make a decision…but I can't and I'm sorry, I'm being such a girl about this” Castiel starts to fiddle with his nails, pulling at them anxiously. Dean sighs and stops Cas’ hands by placing his own on top.

“That's fine, I understand you lose someone like that and you don't just snap back. I'm just as conflicted as you really with different reasons but…this isn't easy so let's just keep going alright? We’ll figure it out” Dean says with a smile that is meant it be encouraging but he can't help but feel sad. Castiel smiles a small smile though so Dean lets go and they walk the rest of the way to the car in silence.

They get an urgent call saying that the vamps are on the move so they quickly head down suited up in weapons to the rental outside. They were only a few blocks away from where the vamps were staying so they catch up quick. The traffic is not in their side however, jams, roadblocks, shitty drivers and assholes make the trip an infuriatingly long trip. Keeping up is also a pain as the silver cars they are in blend with the others, who knows maybe they're following the wrong ones.

Luckily they seem to have the right people as they steer off of the streets and onto small winding roads that lead up to big houses hidden by trees which are in full bloom.

The dark ominous clouds make the afternoon look darker, it's only five but it looks later. The trees cover parts of the roads, casting dark shadows on the road. They stay further back as they would soon notice if they'd followed right after them.

After a while they head down a bumpy road that must lead to a house so instead Dean finds a rest in the road further down and they take it by foot.

Dean thought it would be a good idea to just cut through the woods separating them from the private road but they end up getting stabbed a few times by branches and their feet go through a few holes hidden by leaves on the ground. Castiel is rubbing at dirt on his face with a glare at Dean.

“I didn't know it was this bad” Dean defends. They never have good times in forests.

The road appears and it's isn't long before they see the house, it's white and some blue tarp is covering the carriage on the back of jeep, a boat looks like it is hidden inside. They don't know who really owns the house but quite a few cars are parked as well the ones they followed. No one is outside but the lights are which makes it easier to see who's inside when they pass. They seem to be body guards of sorts that pass the windows, the glance out and keep walking around.

“This place is more protected than I'd thought” Dean mumbles and then they head to the outskirts where the trees end so they can't be seen and avoid the light of the Windows.

They'd taken those pills that hide their heartbeats before so as they get closer they can't be heard.

Trying to find a good way in that's safe and good enough to hear them was extremely hard. The only rooms that were safe enough to get in were on the top floor, it seems only three guards are in the top so that's their best way in.

They decide the should hop out on the porch at the back, it'll take knocking our a few vamps and maybe a bit of army crawling but it's their only option.

“Ok we get this guy up from behind and hide him in those bushes, I’ll give you a lift up alright?” Dean says and Castiel nods. They go down the slope which leads to the garden fence, there’s a few lights nestled in the ground and where the dining room seems to be has French windows leading out the big lot behind. Luckily there's a border of bushes and trees surround the garden. They hop over as quietly as possible and sneak around and hide behind trees as they go.

The man standing to the side is in the way of where they can get up into the roof. Castiel makes his way slowly around so he can sneak up behind. Dean loads up his gun with a tranquillizer, it's best they don't make a mess. Castiel sneaks up behind and grabs him, snapping his neck in a second. Dean rolls his eyes but takes the shot anyway in case.

“Why'd you snap his neck?” Dean asks as they meet at the edge of the house.

“Just in case now give me a foot up” Castiel snaps so Dean bends slightly and cups his hands together to boost Cas up. Once he's up Dean gets his foot up on the ledge and Castiel gives his hand so he can pull him up.

They'd made sure whoever was at the window before had left to circle round the house so quickly Dean gets out a knife and gets the lock open.

The room they end up in seems to be a spare room with just a bed, dresser and a desk. The door is open and they can hear the creek of the wood where people walk.

Now the next problem, how do they leave the room. It seems the guards only leave the room after the other gets to their spot meaning the hallway is pretty much never empty.

“We’ll just have to knock em’ all out” Dean says and Castiel nods. Dean hides behind the door and Castiel goes on the other side. When the woman comes in Dean closes the door quietly and covers up her mouth as Castiel shoots her. She falls to the floor so they drag her to the corner of the room besides the dresser. Dean goes to open the door again so nothing looks weird.

“What now?” Castiel asks as they hide besides the door.

“We have about a second where there's no security out there, lets just get into the next room in that time and knock the next one out” Dean asks.

“We better make this quick, vamps come around from that drug quicker than humans” Castiel says and Dean nods.

They wait for the one at the end of the hall to enter his room and then head into the next one as fast as possible. The guy inside turns round and almost starts to shout but Dean leaps and drags him onto the bed with a hand on his mouth. Castiel quickly takes a shot and the guy goes quiet. Dean lets out a breath and looks down at the man.

“Alright let’s move” Castiel says and then they wait for the next.

After maybe thirty minutes all the guys upstairs are knocked out. They can hear chatter from downstairs so they take a look down the staircase but two men are there and there's bound to be more.

“We'll never get out alive if we try that” Dean says with a sigh.

“Which is why I stole this” Castiel says and gets out a small device from his pocket. Dean frowns.

 

They head back to the back room which is above where the vamps are sat and they close the door. Castiel gets onto the floor and Dean just watches.

“Mick was showing me this a while back, it lets you hear through walls and other things, thought it would come in handy” Castiel turns on a small switch and a red light glows.

“Mick was showing it to you huh?” Dean asks, cocking an eyebrow and an unwelcome sour feeling in his gut. Castiel glances up and smirks.

“Seems I'm not the only jealous one” Castiel says and Dean glares.

“Shut up…get on with it” Dean says and crosses his arms. Castiel beckons him down as he plugs in some ear phones. He hands one over to Dean and he puts the other in his ear. He begins to move it around, a small circular piece of metal at the end which makes it crackle until clear voices are coming in.

“-I assure you, they are far off your track” a woman says.

“And for how long do you expect that to hold, some of your agents are quite…persistent, are they under control” a man says, his voice is familiar. He must've been that man form the council.

“If they fail them we are sure to keep you safe…if you keep your end of the deal up of course” a man says with a British accent. They both exchange a look but continue to listen.

“Our deal holds as long as you keep these agents out of our way” the vamp says.

“Your lack of trust in us isn't reassuring, we are experienced and you have nothing to worry about” the woman says.

“Well if you must remember, your people almost killed us off all those years ago” the vamp says.

“Yes well times were different them we were all out of control and so were your lot, killing whatever you could get- hunters were just trying to stop you” the woman says. She must be talking for the FBI.

“And now look at you, your organization for good is making deals…how the mighty have fallen” the vamp says. There's a pregnant silence before anyone talks.

“We are moving with the times” she says but it's weak and the vamp chuckles.

“Moving where the money is more like” he says “and you Brits, your supposed righteous path-  
protection for your people…it seems the vamps have the hearts” The vamp Sorento says.

“What the fuck is this” Dean mutters.

“Yes, we'll keep it all quiet and you continue our safety and the money” the Brit says.

“Of course” Sorento says, smirk clear in his voice. There's the movement of chairs and shoes so they sit back up. They both look at each other from the floor with shock.

“Well shit” Dean says and rubs his hands down his face.

Then they hear the creak of feet up the stairs. They look at each other before standing up and heading to the window.

“Hey…what the fuck” someone says and Castiel is already out of the window. The door swings open and a big man stands there already furious. He runs over and grabs onto Dean’s ankle as he's just about to get out.

“Where do ya think you're going” the man says with a grin. Dean tries to kick back but the vamp only drags him back in.

“Dean!” Castiel shouts but Dean can't reply as he's flung to the floor. He's dazed on the floor so he doesn't see when the hit to his side comes, a thick boot bruises his side and he grunts in pain. There's the sound of shooting and then Cas is leaping inside with a machete in hand and his face with a rather nasty gash. The man turns round and starts to punch him but Castiel blocks it with his arms, it looks painful though. The vamp gets a swing to Cas’ stomach which makes him bend over leading to a swift knee to the face making him fall back. Dean’s up and gets a kick in the guys nuts to keep him down. There's shouts and foot falls in the house and he knows they're fucked…

About three vamps burst and fire a few shots they manage to dodge. They don't seem too eager to accidently shoot each other so they pocket their guns and head for them.

Dean’s already worn out after the first guy he knocks out but he doesn't get a break when another comes up and begins to beat him up. He's got blood clogging up his throat and his whole body aches.

“Dean!” Castiel shouts again and then Castiel is grabbing his hand and they're flying out the window. They tumble down the slanted porch roof, tiles falling with them. They fall badly onto their side making them groan in pain.

His mind is cloudy and everything is swirling. He can hear shouting along with the screech in his ears. He faintly hears Castiel shout to move and then they're running again. They go down the side of the house to the front where more men are. Castiel has a firm grip on his hand, it hurts and both their hands are wet with blood but it keeps him going. He can hear shots and Castiel is taking his gun out, getting some in the legs and heads but his aim is everywhere.

“C’mon Dean we have to keep going” his voice is worn out but Dean hears and he quickly finds his gun and gets a few. They start running out into the woods again, it's dark and cold but they keep going.

The ground below them goes in waves of dirt covers in leaves and stones. They trip a few times but keep going into the darkness. The house is flicker of light behind them and there's a ring in their ears as they stumble through. They don't hear the man approach but all Dean feels is the searing pain in his side, the feel of blood and the thick smell of it around him…reminding him of his dreams, the thick smell of copper and something else foul that's always present. He hears shouting and then the thick horrible sound of a knife though bone. He faintly feels the damp dirt at his knees and patting his sensitive side, seeing blood. Was it his? Or someone else's? He’ll never know it seems.

“Hey Dean you hear me-shit ok c’mon…” Castiel is hauling him up, he swings Dean's arm over his shoulder and then he's almost being dragged away.

“Cas, think I got stabbed” Dean says feels the open wound of his skin, shirt sticking to it. Castiel lets out a bitter chuckle and picks him up a bit as he was slouching.

“Looks like it, now put pressure on it come on” Castiel says and he guides both their hands to Dean’s side which makes blood ooze out and Dean shout in pain.

“Stay with me Dean” Castiel says, voice weak. All Dean can think is…thick coppery blood.

 

It seems like hours before they reach the car. He aches, he's tired and he feels like he's dying. Castiel gets him into the rental, blood already staining the seats. The sterile stench of an unused car battles with the stench of his blood. Castiel gets in and with bloody fingers fumbles the key into the ignition. The engine starts and Castiel looks around anxiously but there's no cars around.

Castiel grabs the duffle behind and quickly gets out some bandage.

“You still with me Dean?” Castiel asks as begins to get off Dean’s jacket.

“Mhmm” Dean replies and lets Castiel fiddle with his clothing.

“I'm going to try and keep this wound closed, it's pretty deep you'll have to go to hospital” Castiel says and beginning to get the bandage around his torso. Dean whines.

“No, don't like hospitals” Dean says as he looks out blurring at the dark forest.

“You don't get a choice” Castiel says and finishes up “alright now keep listening to me ok, no fainting” Castiel says and buckles them in before turning around. He starts to drive down the road fast and then there's headlights behind them. He hears Castiel whisper shit but Dean isn't really listening. His wound is still bleeding out and it hurts like a bitch.

“It's ok Dean” Castiel says trying to comfort Dean every time he hisses in pain. Dean looks over blearily and grins.

“You look like shit” Dean says and Castiel rolls his eyes.

“And you look worse” Castiel says and then he leans over and grips his hand “Do you think you've broken anything?” Castiel asks as they begin to enter back into the city. Dean moves a bit but he can't tell, his body aches.

“Might've sprained something” Dean says as he feels the pain buzzing from his ankle. Castiel nods  
“Alright you'll be ok Dean, not the worst right?” Castiel says trying to lighten it up. Dean hums  
“Yeah gotten…worse, it's alright…” Dean says, his lips feel numb and his teeth ache in his gums.

He tries to take a shallow breath, ribs hurting. He starts to cough though and then the splatters of blood become bigger on his jeans.

“Fuck!” Castiel says, voice filled with panic. The horn blows and it looks like they've stopped but he can't tell. The city is too loud and all the lights have blurred together, the engine is blaring and his body is burning….and the thick smell of blood.

His eyes begin to droop, he can't seem to focus and the firm grip on his hand is at the back of his mind just like the voice connected to it.

“Stay with…Dean please- need y-….I Lo-…need you….” The only thing he notices is the smell of his blood before he's falling to darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow look it took me less time to write this one. Hope you enjoyed it, comments welcome!!


	19. Chapter nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my beta AngelisticSatan for going through the chapter!

_The sky is as dark as every other night…or the same night, he can't even tell. His eyes feel swollen and his rib cage is throbbing along with every other bone in his body. His lungs burn as he takes in sharp breaths which falter with the bruises and breaks in his body. Castiel is still in front of him like every time, the same words like a tape looping. He's tried to change it, go a different way or just shooting every vamp…but they always end up here, then the car no matter how deep the other way they go.  
   
“You’re going to be ok Dean” Castiel is out of breath, have to be when you’re half dragging someone with your own wounds.  
   
They're going the same as before but something feels odd, he can't put his finger on it but it's there. As they continue you on he starts to hear a high noise like that one you get when something is too loud once it goes quiet, but this one just gets louder and the dark begins to turn to light but not like day just a bright white light, Cas is slipping from his grasp and for once In a very long time he feels scared…so scared…._  
   
   
The first thing that he notices is the racket of a heart monitor, he'd know that sound anywhere. His vision isn't quite there so everything's blurry in a bright light. He tries to move, his instincts making the order to move his limbs but they're heavy and there's a dull ache.  
   
“Careful there Mr. Winchester” someone says and someone is settling him down. He tries to form words but his lips are cracked and throat is closed up with the lack of moisture.  
   
“I'm nurse Peters, you’re in the hospital” the man says. Deans vision is coming back. The room isn't as bright as he'd thought, the window has its blinds open but the clouds are dark above and the tall buildings hide the sun that could be there.  
   
“Would you like something for your throat?” He asks. Dean tries to say yes but he forgets that he can't speak, he nods “alright, well that friend of yours is anxious outside so I'll let him in alright, call if you need anything” Dean doesn't respond and tries to take in his surroundings. He can hear the sound of a machine running and the heart monitor, can feel the tubes up his nostrils and the needles on his arms, this isn't his first time in hospital.  
   
He sees someone stand in the doorway so he looks up and sees a worried but happy Castiel looking at him. Castiel walks further in and Dean tries to respond with his own but hurts his mouth, Cas seems to not care though.  
   
“You're awake” Castiel says and sits in the edge of the bed. Dean winks instead which makes Castiel chuckle, his eyes look wet.  
   
“You've been out for a few weeks now, stayed here in Washington till you would wake up” Castiel says. His bruises and cuts don't look so bad, the bruises are yellowing and the cuts scabbing. When he looks down he sees the black support band over his hand. Dean tries to ask about it but only makes an embarrassing noise so he uses his eyes instead. Castiel follows his eyes and smiles.  
   
“Just sprained it” Castiel says.  
   
The nurse comes back in then holding a plastic cup with a straw. He smiles at Castiel and Cas responds with his own.  
   
“Everything alright?” Peters asks and they nod “The doctor will be in to check on everything, I trust you with the water Castiel” he says and then he leaves. Castiel smirks the bastard and holds out the cup.  
   
’Bastard’ Dean says with his lips. He attempts to take the cup but his fingers feel fuzzy with pins and needles so he almost drops it.  
   
“Just let me hold it” Castiel says and aims the straw for Dean. He rolls his eyes but gets the straw in his mouth and sucks all the liquid out. His throat slowly starts to loosen up and he feels like he can breathe better. Castiel puts it down and smiles, he's always smiling now all big and toothy.  
Dean clears his throat a bit and then (with a little assistance) he sits up.  
   
“Can you talk?” Castiel asks.  
   
“Yeah asshole” Dean says, his voice deep and rough. Castiel laughs and then there's a knock at the door. The doctor smiles and then walks further in.  
   
“Welcome back Mr Winchester, just here to check everything up and get any questions answered” she says and then goes to a board at the end of the bed.  
   
“Do you feel dizzy or confused?” She asks as she walks around and checks the machines and where everything is placed on his body.  
   
“Nope” Dean replies.  
   
“Does your breathing feel alright, your heart rate is fine and so is your blood pressure” she says and Dean shrugs.  
   
“Seems fine doc” Dean replies.  
   
“That's good, how is your memory doing, anything seem missing excluding the incident of course” she says and Dean checks his brains…nope everything seems in order.  
   
“All in check” Dean says with a grin and she smiles.  
   
“Alright would you like to know the damage that had been done?” She asks and Dean nods, he'll get the rest off of Cas later.  
   
“The wound was deep, it had gone through your abdomen causing harm to your vitals,  you also  had severe blood loss. You were put under a medically induced coma so your body could rehabilitate safely. Would you like to explain the situation, where it happened and so on?” She aims the question at Cas who nods. She smiles.  
   
“How long will I be here for?” Dean asks.  
   
“We have to keep you in for a couple more days to check you’re ready and you should be able to head home, with supervision though as you got some pretty bad injuries to your head causing concussion that is still present. Hope that's ok with you” Dean didn't want to be here any longer, the smell of the hospital felt toxic and he felt like shit.  
   
“That's fine” Castiel answers instead. She smirks and with a polite goodbye she leaves.  
   
“Bobby shouted at me down the phone when I got out of hospital” Castiel says with a smile “said he could never trust two kids to do the job right” they smile at each other.  
   
“Guess he ain't wrong, you tell him what we found out?” Dean asks.  
   
“Kind of, wrote it down In a file so he gets the full run down, haven't been back there yet” Castiel says.  
   
“What…what exactly happened?” Dean asks. Castiel swallows and looks around.  
   
“Well we were running though the forest to get to the car and a vamp came out of nowhere got you in the side so I cut his head off the dragged you up….owed the rental service a lot for the blood” Castiel says. Dean snorts.  
   
“Sorry I'll bleed on a sheet next time” Dean says and Castiel shoves him but leaves his hand on his shoulder.  
   
“I know…I know you go through this all the time but there was so much blood and I didn't know what to do or-“  
   
“Cas…” he takes a breath and lifts his own hand and puts it over Cas’ to grip with all his strength he has “I understand, been in your position myself so you don't have to explain yourself” Dean says. His hand is warm under his and he stores the feeling it brings for the future, not knowing  where it will take them.  
   
“It just feels different…I don't know, probably still got concussion or something” Castiel says which makes Dean huff. He does understand though, something is different about this time.  
   
   
   
                                                           **************************  
   
   
A few days later Dean is allowed out, he's got his pills and his companion just in case. The impala is in the multi-storey car park besides the hospital and at first Dean is outraged Cas was driving it around but she's in perfect condition and Cas had no other way to go around, unless he wanted to spend a fortune on cabs.  
   
They are still at the same hotel as before, it looks a little more lived in thanks to Cas. He gets a couple of calls from Charlie, Sam and the others who all send their best wishes and Sam tells him he's getting too old for stab wounds.  
   
He has a scar across his side now, just one more to the collection really but he always finds them kind of cool.  
   
“I could really use a burger, hospital food is gross” Dean says still remembering the bland taste of the food in his mouth.  
   
“There's a place a few blocks away that makes some good burgers if you like” Castiel says so Dean takes a shower and gets into a new change of clothes as well as finally shaving his face. He's still got cuts and bruises all over the place, his face is pretty raw and a few small stitches have been done on cuts on his cheeks.  
   
“What did you tell them?” Dean asks as they head back out.  
   
“Just that we were walking back from some night out and we'd gotten attacked, had to write a statement and all that” Castiel says “they were pretty persistent about looking into CCTV so I showed my badge and said it was fine, that shut them up” Dean chuckles.  
   
The burgers were pretty decent and having a good cold beer was definitely a bonus. It doesn't feel like he's been out for weeks, more like hours maybe. He remembers the car trip and that's it, everything else is blurry.  
   
“What were you saying to me before I blacked out?” Dean asks as he picks up a buffalo wing. Castiel blushes hard but his face stays casual.  
   
“Not much just to stay with me and all that” Castiel says, not looking into his eyes. Dean nods  
   
“Uh-huh” Dean replies, not convinced but doesn't go into it.  
   
“What do you remember?” Castiel asks as he fiddles with a stray piece of lettuce on his plate.  
   
“Just up until I passed out, why?” Castiel just shrugs.  
   
“Curious, you seemed more out of it before so you might've forgotten” Castiel says and Dean nods.  
   
   
When heading back they cut through an alleyway to get to the other side. They just got a call from one of Toni’s people that they must repertory back to base immediately. The light spit of rain has started up so they start to rush but get a rather unfortunate distraction.  
   
A man, a big one, steps out from behind a dumpster and woman appears behind. Not knowing who these people were or what their aim was they went back to back and gave a defensive stance.  
   
“Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak, correct?” The woman asks although it's clear she already knows.  
   
“Who wants to know?” Castiel asks and to confirm what they were suspecting she let her second load of teeth fall down, thin and jagged.  
   
“Never took you as the type to crash a party, very bad manners” she says with a smirk, stepping forward. Dean keeps his eye on the man in front of him, getting his gun out now isn't a good idea.  
   
“Well if that's what you vamps call a party then I'm glad I wasn't invited” Dean snarks and she huffs.  
   
“You heard a little too much, can't have you waking around now can we?” She says and gets out a rather big knife from under her black jacket.  
   
“You're right we did, so is it really a good idea that you kill us?” Castiel says and she rolls her eyes.  
   
“The leaders don't know what they're talking about, they haven't been on the ground like us” she says, twirling the knife.  
   
“This a rebellion huh, don't think your boss would be too happy” Dean says.  
   
“Restrain them” before either can even get out their weapons the big man is grabbing them by the front of their shirts and pushing them against the brick wall.  
   
“I think we've dragged this on long enough don't you think?” The vamp has the knife above her ready to lunge but then it vanishes and they all stare shocked.  
   
“Good afternoon” someone says and the girl spins around to a lady in a long black coat with bright red hair. The mystery woman tosses a little bag and on instinct the vamp catches it. Once she does a few words of maybe Latin were said and the vamp is choking until she falls to the floor in a pool of blood.  
   
“Would you mind leaving?” She says to the other in her thick Scottish accent. The man looks ready to fight but with a look form the woman he turns and flees leaving both men half fallen to he ground.  
   
“You're a witch” Castiel says accusingly. The woman claps lightly with a smile.  
   
“We have a winner” she picks up a case from beside her “I'm Rowena” she says.  
   
“Right well thanks I guess, now you can fuck off” Dean says “never been a fan of witches you know?” Dean snarks as he rubs at his side, still sensitive.  
   
“You have no manners, I helped you so you should show me some respect” she says with a glare and Dean rolls his eyes.  
   
“Why did you save us?” Castiel asks.  
   
“See, he can be civilised” she says and Dean snorts “I will explain in detail when we have time, for now you must return back to Kansas as you are needed, I'll be in touch” she says with a smile and with a swish of her cloak she struts out of the alleyway and around the corner. They both run after her but once they get to the corner she's vanished.  
   
   
“What kinda crazy shit was that” Dean exclaims as they pack up their stuff.  
   
“I have no idea but at least we're alive” Castiel says.  
   
“What does she want, a favour or something?” Dean asks. It's started to rain heavy so he's dreading the long drive back.  
   
“Does it look like I know, we can deal with her later all we have to worry about is the consequences of you almost dying” Castiel says and zips up his duffle bag.  
   
“Yeah guess you're right, hopefully the rain doesn't follow us”  
   
They head out and leave the keys at the desk rushing to the car in the heavy rain. The roads are jammed up pretty bad, it is around five so some people are off work already.  
   
“Just our luck” Dean says as they slowly move through the busy streets. Castiel is writing in a file still to fill in what happened with Dean.  
   
“Do you think they know we weren't really after a ghost?” Castiel asks and Dean shrugs.  
   
“Since they were represented by some lady to have negotiations with vamps then I'm guessing it was reported…hope Bobby isn't getting fired” Dean says.  
   
“Last time I called Bobby was still boss so I think he's safe” Castiel says and Dean nods.  
   
   
The next day when they get back to Kansas the weather is luckily pretty good, it's warm without a cloud in the sky. They're dead tired so decide not to go in for the rest of the day of work as it's around twelve. He drops Castiel off and takes the ride back to his place, already dreaming of his bed.  
   
Everything is how it was when he left, blankets folded on the couch, his bed unmade and two mugs still on the drying rack. Dean drops his bag onto the floor and takes off his jacket, dropping it onto the arm of the couch before sitting down. He can hear a dog barking from somewhere down the street and some little kids screaming. Taking his shoes of feels like heaven so he leans back and just relaxes for a bit.  
   
When he comes back around the light from the windows has dimmed significantly, the orange of street lights marks the shadows of the window frame onto the far walls. He slowly sits up with stiff limbs and an ache in his side, he should take the pills they gave to help with the wound. Dean stumbles up and goes to his bag to rummage through the pockets for the small brown bottle. After doing that he strips to take a shower and then heads back to bed after finding his phone.  
   
   
   
That morning he wakes with a jolt, covered in sweat and fear. Another dream just like the others and even after all these years it still gets him sweating buckets. He can hear his alarm off in the distance which means he has to get up anyway.  
   
He has a shower, gets changed, has some breakfast then makes his lunch. He takes his pills and then heads out to get to work.  
   
He's greeted by a few people who knew about the incident and all wish good luck. Charlie is there and she drags him away to her office where Kevin is just getting settled.  
   
“Cas emailed me a file of what you found out, no wonder you got stabbed” she says as she shows some printed files of the case.  
   
“Yeah well they came back to finish the job but we got out luckily” Dean says remembering that Rowena lady. Charlie stares in shock and puts the file away.  
   
“How'd you get out?” Kevin asks  
   
“A witch helped us actually” Dean says and they both stare “have no idea why, said she'd be in touch or something” Dean says.  
   
“How do you always end up in these messes Dean” Charlie says with a sigh. Dean just shrugs. Just then there's a light knock at the door and they turn to find a rather pissed Toni Bevell standing in her suit, as usual.  
   
“We need to talk Winchester” she says and then walks out. Dean exchanges looks with the others before heading to the door.  
   
“We’ll pray for you!” Kevin shouts and Dean rolls his eyes. He follows Toni from a distance to another office. Inside Castiel is already sat twiddling his thumbs.  
   
“Have a seat” she says so Dean sits next to Cas who looks at him.  
   
“I believe you already know why you're here” Toni says, putting her fingers into the steeple position. They both nod “you went on a case that was not authorised by us and with no back up, then almost got yourself killed” she aims that part at Dean.  
   
“We assumed you knew” Castiel defends and she raises an eyebrow.  
   
“Assumed? Is that a safe hypothesis for your career?” She says with a glare.  
“Well-“  
   
“Rhetorical” she snaps and then composes herself once again “now I think two week suspension is acceptable, you can return then” she says and they glare at her.  
   
“You're suspending us for that!” Dean exclaims. She sighs.  
   
“You went behind our backs, put yourself in serious danger without anyone but your dear boss Singer knowing-I think suspension is acceptable for the circumstances” she continues with “you may leave now, see you in a few weeks” she looks at her computer to confirm their dismissal so they get up and head to get their stuff.  
   
“What happened unicorn” Meg says when she catches them.  
   
“Got suspended” Castiel says and grabs his coat.  
   
“Cassie you bad boy” she says with a smirk. They both glare at her and she only laughs “I'll leave you to it” she says.  
   
Once they've got their stuff they head to the lift and wait to head up to the car park.  
   
“You want to get some lunch maybe, I’m starved and I'm pretty sure I squashed my sandwich” Dean says and Castiel smiles.  
   
“Sure” Castiel says so they get into their own cars and go to find a place.  
   
They end up at a little cafe that has some nice baguettes with meat inside. They find a small table near the corner of the cosy section both sitting on the bench seat and eat. The coffee’s just right and the meat perfect.  
   
“This place is really good” Dean says over a mouth of sandwich and Castiel shakes his head with a smile.  
   
“Still such bad manners” Dean just shrugs. They it in a nice silence for a while except for the exchange of stares on occasion. Dean starts to comment on the other patrons which makes Cas tell him to stop judging people but he eventually does it too.  
   
“Your wound doing alright?” Castiel asks and Dean nods “not getting dizzy or anything?” He continues.  
   
“Yes doctor Novak I'm all good” Dean snarks and Castiel glares “seriously I only got my head bashed in a little, you didn't look too good either” Dean says.  
   
“Just wanted to make sure” Castiel says and Dean smiles reassuringly. They fall into silence again, they can hear the whir of the fan cooling down the place and the low hush of speech.  
   
“Dean I…” Castiel says and Dean looks over at him even if that means they're even closer. Castiel is sitting sideways now, looking round anxiously.  
   
“Yeah?” Dean asks and Castiel lets out a sigh, looking up at him.  
   
“When you were in the coma I thought you might've…gone, they said that was unlikely but seeing you all wired up to machines and before in the car when there was blood everywhere I just…I was scared and I've realised that I could lose you, now or later or maybe on that day I could've and you would never know that I-…that you mean a lot to me, so the fact that I've been fussing around and making this so complicated it means we're wasting time because I know you'll probably never leave this job, you'll die doing it so…” Castiel seems to be contemplating his next move or words but all Dean is trying to do is process what Cas was saying, then he feels soft lips against his and he feels his breath hitch and a surge of something though his chest making him feel numb. It takes him a few seconds to return it, lightly and slow as they are in public but also because this isn't the circumstances for rough lust filled saliva sharing snogging…but heartfelt because Dean isn't very good with words and Cas seems to of had some trouble so he shows how much Cas means to him through lightly cupping his jaw and holding him close.  
   
When they separate they look deep into the other eyes, he can feel his breath against his skin and feels the tight grip Cas has on his jacket.  
   
“You want to try this then?” Dean asks not being able to control the hope in his voice. This is all too much but he could spend a lifetime trying to think about the pros and cons of this and never come to a direct decision so he might as well see how it goes.  
   
“Yes, it may not be easy but…better to have tried right?” Castiel says with a little smile and Dean smiles back finally getting to move the little lock of brown hair to behind his ear. Castiel chuckles and they snuggle up in the puffy bench, hidden from the rest.  
   
   
Dean remembers he needs to stock up on some food so they decide to walk down to the closest supermarket. Dean invites him to come round and have dinner with him which isn't a date, right? They haven't really spoken about this massive change between them but if the constant blushes on each others cheeks and the staring is anything to go by…it hasn't really changed. They stand a little closer than usual and on one occasion when Cas had found the vegetable they needed he'd grabbed Dean’s hand and dragged him over, Dean liked it though.  
   
It's around three by the time they make it to Dean’s place, it's a little messy but not all that bad. They make homemade burgers together, Dean is better at the meat part so Cas does the fillings like bacon and grating up some cheese. They share a little banter as they go and Cas almost drops the bag of fries when Dean jabs him in the side, it all feels like childish flirting…probably is. The food is great and they eat it silently with the occasional ‘this is really good’ but otherwise it's quiet  
“You want to watch the rest of Buffy the vampire slayer, you know you like it” Dean says as he throws the last remaining fries into his mouth. Castiel blushes hard but nods so they dump the plates and cutlery into the sink for later and then head to the couch.  
   
They enjoy the first one in silence but Cas ends up asking questions throughout as it's not exactly accurate, the sort of thing getting right on Dean’s nerves. Dean grabs the side of the other mans face and makes he contact, the light of the TV reflecting off them.  
   
“Quit the questions, don't make me gag you” Dean warns, he doesn't know where it came from but it's out there now so no turning back now. Cas looks a little shocked, his mouth open a little and eyes wide. Dean is about to take it back but Cas surges forwards and crashes their lips together. Dean makes a sound of surprise but leans forward further and locks their lips together better. They can still hear the movie but it's drowned out by the feel of the other, their tongues beginning to twine and their breathes getting heavier. They break apart  with harsh breaths and gripped to each other tight.  
   
“Maybe I should say shit like that more often” Dean says in a husky voice. Castiel huffs with a blush across his cheeks, the complete opposite of the bold move he'd just made. Cas snuggles into side as they continue to watch the show.  
   
It's getting late and this should be around the time Cas should head home but it hasn't been mentioned and Dean doesn't really want Cas to leave anyway. It still feels surreal, they've only had a few kisses but Dean is so freaking happy even when he can still feel the heavy weight of doubt and fear, nothing this good lasts he knows that. He's being foolish about this already but he can't seem to stop what he's been feeling.  
   
Cas seems a little anxious right now, they'd  just been flipping through channels which were still on complaining about shitty TV shows, Dean hasn't asked about it yet and he's not sure he should and maybe because of a part of him is scared it's about him, does Cas regret it? Dean starts to analyse every move and word Dean has said to Cas throughout this evening but nothing seems out of the ordinary (apart from the kissing and snuggling) so then he starts to go through everything else he's done and then it kinda makes sense as to why Cas was questioning his choices. Dean feels rather down for the next half hour, it feels longer, Cas isn't talking much either but he's still buried into Dean's side making a sour feeling rise in Dean’s throat.  
   
“Cas…” Deans says his voice deep. Castiel hums in reply the flashes of violence from the action movie flashing across his face in the dark “you alright?” Dean asks and Cas sits up with a frown.  
   
“Yeah I am, why wouldn't I be?” Cas has a too hard frown on his face, it seems fake which makes Dean clench his jaw. He can't see Cas’ face properly as he's facing away from the TV but the window with its lack of curtains shines some light on his face in a blue tint, Dean remembers the image for later…in case.  
   
“Is this-are you?” Dean can't even finish what he's trying to say, whether out of awkwardness or fear he doesn't know. Cas frown has gone somewhat genuine, not knowing what he's going on a about.  
   
“Am I what?” Cas asks and Dean takes a deep breath looking down at his hands in his lap.  
   
“Are you regretting this?” Dean asks quietly, not sure if Cas heard it or not. There's a sharp intake of breath but Dean doesn't look up-can't look up. Cas shuffles closer and grips his hands making his eyes snap up to Cas’.  
   
“Oh Dean…” Cas says with a sigh and Dean frowns at him. Cas leans forward a lighting presses his lips to the corner of Dean's mouth, then to his creased brow and then to both cheeks.  
   
“Why would I regret this?” Cas asks and Dean shrugs.  
   
“I'm not worth you Cas…” Dean mumbles and Cas leans his head on Dean's shoulder.  
   
“That's bullshit Dean, don't say that sort of thing” Cas says quietly and Dean nods, that doesn't stop him thinking it though.  
   
“I was worried because…this looked like it was going somewhere-this evening I mean, going to someone's house till it's late and watching movies…you know what that looks like?” Cas says and Dean shrugs “I thought you were expecting me to…us to do stuff and- I'm not ready for that which is why I was quiet…” Dean moves so Cas can't lean on his shoulder, instead Dean cups his face with a smile.  
   
“We’re a bunch of idiots aren't we, I'd never do that, I don't even feel too prepared either, it'll make this more real and that's hard to accept…and if I expected sex tonight I'd probably be more handsy” Cas chuckles at that and then he kissed Dean lightly on the lips.  
   
“Thank you Dean” Cas says.  
   
“For what?” Dean asks and with no shame nuzzles into the crook of Cas’ neck, feeling high off his happiness.  
   
“For everything, I knows this will be difficult and it hasn't even gone twenty four hours yet we've had a misunderstanding, I'm grateful for your patience” Cas says. Dean looks back into his eyes and shakes his head.  
   
“You don't need to be grateful, any good person would wait, it shouldn't be some sort of luxury…I care about you Cas” Dean says, the last bit quiet. Cas sighs and then lightly pushes Dean down onto the couch and lays half on top of him, the arm rest is digging into his neck and their feet are tangled hanging over the edge…but Cas is in his arms and even if his neck is fucked later he wouldn't change any of this for the world…this is what he'll remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked the chapter!!


	20. Chapter twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you AngelisticSatan for taking the time to beta my work!!

Cas is too tired to head back home so after a few minutes on the couch they head to bed. At first they are unsure how to sleep, whether they should sleep on each edge or if things have changed. Eventually though they end snuggled up together swiftly causing them to drift off into a nice sleep.

In the morning Dean woke up with a dead arm, thanks to it being under Cas the whole time, and a very dry mouth. He groans and pulls his arm out from under Cas who makes a noise and turns away. Light is flooding throughout the apartment and the sound of the rest of the world awake is present, the weather must be good too as he’d just heard the two jerks going round on their motorbikes speed past. He sits up and rubs at his eyes before taking in his apartment and to his shock finding a woman sitting at his table sipping at a teacup he certainly never owned.  
Dean grabs the gun he’d always kept under his pillow and takes the safety off, aiming it at her.

“Its too early for this lady, who are you?” The lady puts down her cup and looks over at him with a too sweet smile.

“I am quite offended, how must’ve you forgotten’ about me?” The woman, or more like Rowena now that he gets a better look, says “I would’ve come another time if I had known you’d be in a…lets say compromising situation” she says and glances over at Cas, only in boxers and an undershirt. Dean feels himself blush but wills the threatening glare to stay.

“Would you mind putting the gun down, I am not here to fight you” Dean puts the safety back on but doesn't put it down.

“Now wake up ya boy and we’ll talk…put some clothes on too” she goes back to sipping her tea. She looks much too dressed up for a normal day, a long tight dress coloured black and black heels to match all contrasting her red lips and bright hair.

Dean nudges Cas who grunts and then he does it a little harder and slowly Cas wakes up. He glares at Dean who can’t help but smile at the cute picture of a grump half awake Cas.

“As much as I’d like to spend the rest of my day in bed there’s a witch drinking tea over there wanting to have a chat” Dean says and watches as Cas springs up and looks at the witch.

“We never get to have break do we” Cas grumbles which makes Dean snort. The get up and get into some clothes and then go to sit down.

“Good morning dears, please pour a cup it will wake you up” she says. With a little trepidation they pour steaming cups of herbal smelling tea.

“So why do you want to talk to us?” Dean asks as he lets the tea cool, not too keen on it anyway.

“Straight to business I see…well as you are fully aware these vampires are becoming quite the pest, now the coven are not likin' the look of where these things are goin’ and since you aren’t doing too well on your own we uh,I, must assist you” she says. Dean raises an eyebrow at her.

“Your other little friends agree with that?” She looks a little nervous but it vanishes.

“The coven haven't got much brains amongst them which is why they kicked me out in the first place-“ both agents exchange a glance “-but a story for another day” she says with a smile.

“So the reject witch wants to help us fight off the vamps, exactly why and how” Dean says. Rowena doesn't look too happy about being called a reject but says nothing.

“Well you see over the past month or so I’ve noticed the odd vamps with a hex bag, using very old magic that a simple minded vamp could never know about…what I’m saying is they are now using witches for their own gain, whether witches are kidnapped or being bribed I do not know and raising such questions to other witches would cause a stir…some witches are such gossips my reputation would be ruined” she says with slight distress.

“And how would we help with that?” Castiel asks.

“Well defeat these vermin of course” she says “I can assist you with magic of course, it always comes in handy” she says with a smile.

“Why should we trust you?” Dean and she chuckles.

“Don’t, you can never really trust everyone” she says and Dean rolls his eyes.

“What’s the catch?” Dean asks and she shrugs.

“Why the vamps dying is what I gain from his, you think I enjoy spending my time with people like you…you’re the shiner version of hunters, I don’t like hunters all barbarians” she rolls her eyes.

“Now I see you are busy so i’ll leave my card, contact me once you have made a decision and remember, a witch always comes in handy” she leaves a white card on the table and then gets up to tie on her cloak and within a second she’s vanished along with the tea.

“Well then…” Dean says in the silence and Cas shrugs.

“I need to brush my teeth” Cas says and then gets up.

Dean makes them breakfast and they sit listening to the radio forking up a nice breakfast.

“When did you have the time to learn how to cook?” Cas asks. Dean just shrugs

“I always cooked a lot when I was younger, never anything bigger than beans and toast but eventually I liked it and when I was earning more I put more effort in” Cas nods

“Checking my phone earlier, Charlie said Toni gave everyone a warning in a meeting, saying any behaviour like ours will not be tolerated and all that” Dean says. Cas snorts and goes to the sink to clean up his plate.

“At least we weren’t fired” he says and Dean chuckles.

 

They spend the rest of the day lazing around as its not like they need to do any research, this isn’t their first time with witches and what more could they do without the clear knowledge Rowena has and they don’t.

“I’d like to go up and meet Gabriel again soon” Castiel mentions as they watch TV.

“Oh yeah?” Dean says “cool”

“I'd like you to meet him-“ Dean gives him a slightly panicked look “-not like some come meet my parents sort of thing, as a friend…and privately as a couple, the last time I saw him was at Balthazar’s funeral and first I don’t know how he’d react to me being with a guy after a few months, a co-worker again, it’s also still…hard, after everything…It’s always like there’s the elephant in the room, we never talked about it and he remembers more than I do…it’s just a little stilted you know?” Dean nods along and rubs calmly at Cas’ arm.

“No worries it makes sense, I mean me and Sam have things we don’t talk about and there’s unresolved arguments…just how things are” Dean assures and Castiel nods, leaning on his shoulder and letting out a breath.

“Just to warn you, even paralysed Gabe is a, uh, pretty cocky guy so just get prepared for rude jokes and close proximity” Castiel says and Dean laughs.

“It runs in the family huh, the proximity” Dean jokes and Cas frowns at him.

“When have I invaded your personal space?” Castiel retorts and Dean chuckles.

“Lets see the most recent time would be in the lift down to the parking lot, pretty sure there wasn't one part of my left side you weren’t touching with your own body” Dean says, subconsciously stroking Cas’ shoulder again.

“It’s a small lift, you could have said something if you were uncomfortable” Castiel says and gazes up at him with big blue eyes, Dean forgets to breathe for a second but manages to regain his composure.

“Ok first that would've been awkward and second its not like I care that much anyway” Dean says, blushing at the last part.

“So you like our bodies touching” Castiel says and Dean almost chokes on his saliva.

“Did you have to word it like that…no, I don't mind our uh- bodies touching” Dean says, blinking rapidly at the images in his head, come to think of it sex in a lift is still on his list so—no stop right there Winchester!

“Well that’s good otherwise I’d have to move right now” Castiel says and they take into account the fact Cas is almost in Dean’s lap, Dean pouts in agreement.

“You know I uh like you, close proximity is the least of my worries” Dean says and Cas nods but then looks up at him with concern.

“You’re worried, of what?” He asks meaning Dean has to concentrate less on how cute Cas is confused.

“Well I am obviously, pretty sure i’m worried for the majority of my existence, but yeah about this-“ pointing between them “-of course there’s things to worry about, how you feel, getting in trouble…losing you or getting injured…” after that Cas is looking down at his hands which are fiddling with each other, dammit Winchester can’t you speak right?! He turns Cas’ face back up to his and with the curl of his fingers, strokes the other mans cheek bone.

“But that doesn't mean I’m not happy—hell I’m thrilled, I never thought I’d get a chance with you yet here we are and yes I’m worried but you gotta take that as a good thing, I don’t wanna mess this up…you know I’m not so good with words, things don’t come out right when I try to explain them…alright?” Cas bites his lip, eyes leaving his “Yeah?” Dean prompts and Cas smiles making Dean grin. Dean gently places a kiss to the other mans forehead and Castiel looks up to meet their lips together once more in a nice soft kiss.

 

The next day they call up Charlie about their little witch dilemma, they'd talked about in bed the night before (Cas hadn't left) but still were unsure about what the correct action should be, so a third opinion, a very smart one, was a good idea.

“I mean I think you should give it a shot” Charlie says and Dean frowns.

“But what would the consequences be, it’s a pretty big move and I don’t wanna choose the wrong side” Dean replies.

“Well yeah you’re right in away but what exactly is the other option, sitting on our asses over here as these men of letters take over” Charlie explains and maybe she’s right.

“But how do we know she ain’t working for them, testing our loyalty or whatever, pretty sure she knows about what really went down in Washington” Dean says and Charlie hums.

“Guess you’re right but what if she’s not?” They all think about it for a second “I still believe you should go for it, she’s handy and is very good way of getting back at these vamps, I mean machetes and spying isn’t working maybe magic is the best tactic” Charlie explains and the two men nod “Just call her and see what her plan is, if it’s well thought out and trusting I say take the chance, call me after you’ve had a little meeting with her” They both agree.

“Well no time like the present, we’ll get into that now” Dean says.

“Ok stay safe guys, see ya soon” Charlie replies and then hangs up.

“Well lets give her a ring” Dean says and Cas hands over the card.

He types in the number and then press dial, it rings twice before someone picks up.

“Dean Winchester?” She asks through the phone and Dean sighs.

“Yep” he confirms.

“So I’m assuming you’re willing to give me a shot?” She asks hesitantly but still with the calm confidence she seems to hold.

“Yeah but any funny business and we’re out, Deal?” He reasons.

“I gain from this too Dean I assure you, no funny business. Now I know you are aware of a small café near work, you hold a precious memory there” she says with the hint of a smile through the speaker.

“My god do we get no privacy, yes I know where that is” Dean retorts and she only chuckles.

“Meet me there in ten minutes, you’ll see me” she says and then hangs up immediately.

“Rude” he mumbles at the phone.

“What privacy was she talking about?” Cas asks and Dean sighs.

“You’ll know when we get there, c’mon”

Once at the door of the small café Castiel stares at him with shock realization, Dean just nods.

“She knows?” Castiel asks and Dean shrugs.

“Seems like it” He holds the door open for Cas and they walk in, scanning the tables for a wide mop of Red hair. Dean sees the little booth they'd shared only a few days ago and blushes hard.

“There” Castiel points to a table near the window where she sits with what looks like an ice tea and a some sort of tart.

“You want a coffee or something?” Dean asks and Cas shakes his head “me neither” he agrees and they weave their way through small spaces between tables. Rowena looks up with a smile when they pull out their chairs and take a seat.

“How lovely to see you both, would like a beverage of any kind” she asks and with twin stern looks they shake their heads. Rowena rolls her eyes and takes a sip of her drink.

“Didn’t think so, all work and no play” she says with a smile and Dean gives her his own bittersweet smile and places his hands on the table.

“Wanna get down to business?” He prompts and she sighs.

“Where would you like to start?” She asks.

“What’s the plan?” Castiel asks.

“My plan is to send them all back to where they came from- or well the worse ones anyway” she says and they both raise their eyebrows in question, she rolls her eyes “are you aware of purgatory?” She asks and the glance at each other.

“As much as anyone would” Dean says.

“Well its real and its where all monsters, like vampires and werewolf’s, come from and go to” she explains and they stare in shock.

“Wait seriously?” Dean asks in shocks and she rolls her eyes again.

“No I’m yanking your chain- of course I'm being serious, now these vampires aren’t just ya normal type as you can guess the majority of vamps are just turned humans meaning they aren’t true bloods, only a few including the alpha vampire came from purgatory to here which happened many many centuries ago. Under the alpha vampire are these few, it’s a long chain of command and if anything did happen to the alpha the other will take over, as you can guess its basically impossible to kill off these vampires so the only solution to properly nip this at the bud is to send them back to where they came from”

They stare at her for a while, trying to process what she’s saying and then they nod.

“Alright so lets say we get these vamps back to purgatory doesn't that mean they can get back out?” Dean asks and she nods.

“There’s aways a chance they could come back but the spell I’ve been looking up does cover that, the basics of this spell is like a lock and key, one has it on one side and the other has the other on this side, it’s extremely old magic and no ones touch the spell since it was created, never really needing to be used anyhow but it means both would need to be combined to reopen this gate” it seems fair enough, the plan itself does seem like it could work but there's things still unanswered.

“When you say a lock and key does that mean a spell on both these people to keep it sealed?” Cas says and Rowena nods slowly.

“Sort of, more like a mark, once all the ingredients are sorted and I’ve mastered it we’ll be able to create metaphoric key, which will be on either on of you, and also a lock which will be on one of these elite vampires, does that make sense?” She asks and they nods.

“And what are the repercussions of this mark?” Dean asks and she bites her lip, looking down.

“I do not know, I said its never been done before so no consequences have been discovered” she says and they start to look uncertain.

“You can’t expect this to have been fool proof but I assure you, it’s a very good idea and seems to be the only one you’ve got”

Dean and Cas share a nervous glance.

“Man this is a whole new level of crazy” Deans says as they get back to Dean’s. Castiel hums and toes off his shoes.

“Which one of us will have the mark?” Castiel asks as he takes of his jacket.

“Slow down cowboy, we haven't even thought if this is a good idea or not” Dean says with shock.

“Well we haven’t got any other options and its not like the vamps are waiting for us to write out the pros and cons and debate a decision” Castiel snarks and Dean stares at him with shock.

“You have to chill man” Dean says with worry but Cas isn't facing him “hey” he says and spins him around until they’re close and looking into each others eyes.

“Maybe we ain’t got all the time in the world but the vamps aren’t killing us all off tonight, we've got time” he guides Castiel to the couch and sits bedsides him “now we’ll call Charlie and see what she thinks and then we’ll sleep on it, alright?” Dean asks, curling his arms round Cas’ shoulders. “Yeah?” He asks and Castiel snuggles up into the crook of is neck, arms around Dean’s waist.

“I'm sorry Dean” he mumbles and Dean kisses the top of his head.

“It’s alright, just relax” he says and Castiel lets out a sigh. Dean feels sleepy after breathing in the sweet scent of Cas’ hair which is soft and warm.

“Now let me call Charlie before I fall asleep alright?” Dean asks and Castiel chuckles, releasing him. They dial her up and after a long pause she answers, the other side sounding busy.

“Hey guys, how’d it go?” She asks and then hears some shouting but it fades away, she must've of found some privacy.

“Having fun?” Dean asks and then puts the phone on speaker.

“Oh yeah I was just getting a drink with Dorothy, you know that hot girl I was talking about?” Dean grins.

“I remember, so a second date huh?” He teases and she snorts.

“Don’t think I’d call it that, dates are too official you know? We’re just hanging out” she says and Dean chuckles.

“Yeah we can call it that then, anyway back to business” he says and she sighs.

“So what’s the plan?” She asks.

“Rowena basically found some old spell which will essentially lock up the alpha vampire and his closer followers” Castiel sums up and Charlie hums.

“What’s the spell?”

“We don’t quite know yet, seem to work like a lock and key, one person on this side has it and the other on the other side” Dean says.

“Other side, like hell?” She asks and they shake their heads.

“Purgatory” they say in unison then look at each other.

“Wait seriously, purgatory is real! That's awesome” she says excitedly “wait so does that mean one of you will have to be part of the spell?” She asks and Dean swallows nervously.

“Yeah which is where we’re really worried, we don’t know what the side effects of the spell is, it’s a very old spell which could mean anything could happen” Dean says and Charlie is silent for a second.

“Man I don’t know, It seems all vague still, has she given you anything in writing, like the spell itself?” She asks and they shake their heads.

“Nope, nothing” Dean says and she hums.

“I think you need to do a little research on this so called spell, call her up soon and see if you can get anything and then send me a photo, maybe there’s something in the archives on these sort of spells” Both men nod.

“Thanks Charlie, we’ll talk soon and have fun on your date” Dean says with a grin and she sighs.

“Yeah whatever Winchester, I’ll see you both soon. Have fun on your mini vacation- or more like honeymoon” she says the last bit in a rush and before Dean can scold her she hangs up. They exchange a glance and just chuckle.  
That night both of them are close to each other, covered in the warmth they've created but both their minds are clouded and heavy, thinking of the consequences, maybe even sacrifices, they might have to deal with. They stay close though, gripping each other tight, not talking about it but both thinking there’s only one real way out of this and it may leave more than just scars. Both men fall into light troubled sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know this spell is totally made up, if you haven't guessed but the 'mark' does sound a little familiar.  
> Hope you enjoyed it!!


	21. Chapter twenty-one

The next day Charlie invites them after work to go over to hers which happens most of the time, they will watch a movie maybe or play some board game Charlie wants to do.

No surprise to Dean it does take some convincing that Charlie and the others want Castiel to be there, but with some sweet kisses and reassurance Cas lets himself be dragged out.

Charlie lives in a quaint little house out of the city with a white painted porch with well kept grass, Dean always has to assure himself that Charlie really lives in the house as somehow it doesn't really match her, she’s bright and bubbly but somehow the white picket fence type house never seemed very Charlie, she lives off of fast food for God’s sake!

He sees Garth’s truck out front and Kevin’s horrible blue Fiat.

Dean turns off the engine and looks over at Cas who is finding his fingers very interesting. Dean rolls his eyes and puts his hand hesitantly over the top of Cas’ , the close touch still new, His hands jump under his but they stop fiddling.

“Relax, this isn’t some big thing as you’re making it out to be, you were their for the phone call right?” Dean asks and Cas’ gives him a half smile “Exactly, so you know when she says you can both come round isn’t her talking about me and Casper the friendly ghost alright?” Dean assures with a grin and Cas huffs, Dean pats him on the shoulder and gets out.

Dean knocks on the door and after a shout Charlie comes running up to the door like an exited teenager. She grins at them and then shakes her head.

“You know the door is never locked, just walk right in you dumbass” she says and walks back down the corridor to the kitchen. Dean grins at Cas and then pushes the still skeptical man inside.

As confirmed Kevin and Garth are there, all leaning against the island waiting.

“Hey you guys” Garth says and gets up to come over and gives them big hugs. Cas is in shock at first but returns lightly.

“Hello” Cas replies awkwardly and Dean snorts.

“Garth get your skinny ass over here, we’ve got snacks to set up” Kevin shouts and Garth retreats to putting chips in a bowl.

“I called Benny, he’s been pretty busy with his shop but he can make It” Charlie says and Dean smiles.

“Great haven't had time to see him lately” Dean says with a grin. He slips off his jacket and Castiel copies quickly.

“Meg is coming too” Charlie says and Dean glares which gets a disapproving glance from Cas “Hey she’s Cas’ bestie, thought he might want a little familiarity that’s all” Charlie says with a shrug as she passes over a plate of cold pizza to Dean and what looks like a bowl of chicken balls to Cas.

“Yeah she made her first grown up decision, be better with the new guy” Kevin says which gets a glare form Charlie which he returns with a smile.

“Lets head to the living room” Garth interrupts so they all go to the dark living room where the TV is set up with DVDs in front.

“It’s a movie night I think” Charlie declares and puts the snacks she was holding onto the coffee table.

“How much movies can you all watch” Castiel wonders and they chuckle.

“Don’t ask” Dean says as he sits down and Cas follows, sitting close.

“Yeah being in the FBI is surprisingly boring, if you’re not working on communicating with some terrorists or Russia” Kevin says with a grin and they laugh.

“Yeah wonder how that’s going” Dean says and they look up thoughtfully for a second before returning to what they were doing.

There’s a knock a the door and they hear Meg and Benny at the door.

“Why do you have to be friends with the devil?” Dean asks and Cas glares lightly.

“She’s nice when you get to know her” Castiel says and Dean snorts.

“Yeah girlfriends say that about their douchebag boyfriends” Dean says and Cas rolls his eyes. Just then they all walk in and Dean gets up to greet Benny, Meg gives Cas a wink and goes over to the armchair where she props her feet up on a small space of room on the table.

“They accepted you into their little cult huh? Thanks for getting me a free pass” she says with a smirk and gets out a packet of cigarettes “think I can smoke in here?” She asks and Cas chuckles.

“Probably not” he replies and she shrugs, putting them back.

Dean sits back down and Benny next to him. Benny is a big guy with a deep accent but a kind smile and a nice laugh.

“Benny this is Cas, Cas this is Benny” Dean says with a smile and they both shake hands.

“How you doin’ “ Benny greets and Cas smiles politely.

“Hello” Cas says back and Dean leans back, looking between the two men skeptically.

“How’s the shop going?” Dean asks and Benny shrugs.

“We had some inspector in so things were pretty busy and a couple wanted some pastries for their wedding so we had that too. You haven’t been round recently must mean you’ve been busy” Benny says and Dean glances at him before shrugging.

“Just some stuff” Dean says and Benny grins.

“Yeah I know, if ya told me you’d have to kill me” he says and they laugh, Dean giving him a friendly pat. They sat down next to Cas on the couch, all close on the small two seater.  
“Benny get your big ass down here, your crush on Dean is just creepy” Kevin says from his place on the floor. Meg raises her brow, Cas looks a little anxious and Dean just glares whilst the others laugh. Benny makes his way onto the floor with a grunt and the other two spread out.

“Ok movie time, I think a thriller is a good idea” Charlie says.

“Psycho, psycho!” Kevin shouts and the others chuckle.

“Sounds like a good start, tuck in guys” Charlie says and they all grabs some food as she puts in the movie.

Cas can see the interest in the movie and it seems everyone knows what's going to happen but all still love it equally, Kevin seems to enjoy the murder much more than is healthy but no one seems too worried about it and go on to shout what is going to happen before it does.

“Told you everything would be fine” Dean whispers to him and then throws a cheeto into his mouth. Cas rolls his eyes and looks back at the TV.

The next day Cas had headed back home leaving Dean to his own thoughts for a while which is never really a good idea but there he is. It's weird Cas not being around and maybe it hasn't been that long he's been gone but having Cas in the apartment made things…homier, he gave a warmth to a place he never knew was so cold, it felt less empty and big.

Ah look how far he's come, from one night stands and unhealthy drinking habits to sulking over his kinda boyfriend thing alone with nothing do. For some that may sound like a good thing but things are changing, yes it wasn't healthy but it was normal and secure, they'll always be whiskey and waitresses but Cas? That could go and what he's feeling is so uncertain and it makes him sad and angry and happy with no clear path and he doesn't like that, he likes to know where things are going, to know that she likes him or that he can handle over three shots of liqueur but with Cas things are all over the place, Cas may leave or God…Get hurt and he doesn't like that one bit…but it's Cas and he doesn't think he could ever let go.

He huffs aloud goes to distract himself with a sandwich

“Awe, little Dean in love” a voice says and he snaps around to see Rowena leaning against the frame between the bedroom and front room.

He glares.

“What?” He asks.

“It's all over your face dear” she says and Dean snorts.

“If you’re going to break into song please leave” he says and puts the other piece of bread on top.

“Such a joker, we must talk I've texted your boyfriend to come over” she says and makes herself comfortable at the dining table, not matching the old furniture with her expensive fashion.

“He's not my boyfriend” Dean says sternly and sits opposite her.

“Your secret lover then” she says with a grin and he grimaces at her.

“Which brings me onto one of my many problems, you will bear this mark to keep the monsters at bay” she says suddenly and Dean chokes around his mouthful on sandwich.

“Wait what?” He splutters and she lets out a long sigh.

“Exactly what I said, I think it's best you have it” she says and Dean frowns.

“Care to elaborate”

It's not like that he's unhappy about Cas not having to have it as he'd much rather be going through that pain rather than Cas but he'd like to know the reasons behind it.

“Well since we are unaware of the consequences of this mark it means that a lot of things have to be taken under consideration, for example the still fresh death of his last lover which is still having a long lasting effect on Castiel, we don't know if this mark will cause him to…become more unstable, he might do things, to himself or another and we can't take that chance especially if we want this spell to work”

Dean processes it all for a minute, it makes sense really as it could influence rage or sorrow they aren't too sure and if that causes the spell to break they'll be bigger problems.

“Well I'm for it I guess but Cas won't be too happy” Dean says and she nods.

“As I suspected but I hope you have some strong modes of persuasion” she says with an evil smile.

Dean blushes and digs into his sandwich

There's a knock at the door and Rowena flicks her hand so the door swings open revealing a surprised Cas.

“Good afternoon Castiel” Rowena says and beckons him towards them “take a seat” she says so Cas obeys and sits down.

“Is this about the mission?” He asks and they both nod.

Dean can't help but stare even if he feels guilty of the decision that was made because he's next to him again and he can't help but be happy in his presence, just the sight of him makes him more comfortable and all warm.

“We've decided who should wear the mark” Rowena says bluntly and Cas frowns.

“Already?” He asks and looks over at Dean who this time looks down at his less appetizing sandwich.

“Yes well more like I did, I believe Dean is more suitable for the role” she says with confidence.

“What?” Cas asks and he sounds confused but his face doesn't show it that much.

“He's more emotionally stable, not to say Dean hasn't got his problems but…”

Cas is deadly silent for a bit and Dean is picking at the splinters of his table as he waits for the inevitable rage.

“How the hell is the death of my—Balthazar got anything to with this mark” Cas says with a glare, Dean ignores the stutter of who Balthazar is and lays a hesitant hand on Cas’ shoulder.

“Cas…” he swallows hard when Cas snaps his shoulder out of his grip, any warmth inside of Dean sucked with it.

“No, clearly I have no say in what goes so please, tell me if there's anything we need to get you” Cas’ face is stony, twitching but collected in his emotions making Dean’s throat close up.

“Here's a list, we must have the vamps in presence for it to work of course” she says and gives over a peace of paper to him.

“I think I've overstayed my welcome, I'll leave you to it” she says and gives a look to Dean who goes red, he almost contemplates actually seducing Cas but decides against it, it's so not the time for that.

It's quiet when she's gone, Cas is looking over the list and Dean is picking at the bread which is soggy thanks of the tomatoes being there for too long.

“Cas I know this isn't fair…but it's for the best” Dean says and cringes at his own words, the thought had sounded so much better in his mind, Cas not risking his life.

“For the best?” Cas asks and Dean swallows.

“Y-yeah” he stumbles and scratches his nose awkwardly.

“So watching you potentially get yourself killed instead of me is for the best?” His calm anger on the subject is more unsettling then any other and he's been in front of six foot of angry brother before but this makes him uneasy.

“I couldn't let you…I just can't ok? It's better if it's me, this isn't the first time I've been under some sort of curse and…yeah, it's just more ideal” he says and Cas nods, standing up the screech of the chair making Dean flinch as it breaks the silence.

“Ok” he says simply and pockets the list “I'll send you a picture of the list later” he says and starts to walk to the door but Dean leaps up and grabs his shoulder, spinning him round.

“Cas please I just don't wanna see you get hurt” he says with a weak voice.

“Well it's a nice thought but a very selfish one” his voice wavering “and if you think me having to see you in the position is any better then I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself” and with that he walks out with the slam of the door leaving a very cold Dean in his wake.

 

Dean has no idea what he should do, he's angry and sad and worried, what if he's fucked up? What if after such a short time Cas realizes he isn't the man he thought he was and breaks it off, Dean couldn't take that and then he'd be the emotionally unstable one.

He paces his apartment, problem after problem showing itself and swiftly smacking him in the face, how the hell are they going to get these vamps all in one place? Will Cas forgive him? Will the mark kill him?

He needs someone to talk to about this, he may not be the talking sort of guy but without Cas he feels much more over his head than he was already and he'll only make things worse if he doesn't calm the fuck down.

So he calls Sam.

It takes a while to get through but an exasperated Sam says ‘what?!’ Through the phone, clearly not knowing who it is.

“I'm at work this better be good” Sam says sternly and Dean sits down.

“Hey Sam” he says, sounding even worse than he thought.

“Oh Dean hey, what's up?” He asks and Dean rubs at his jaw against the stubble.

“Uh yeah a lot…is up” he says weakly and he almost here's the click from casual talk to this is some deep shit through the phone.

“What's happened is it the case?” He asks with a worry and Dean swallows.

“Kinda, it's a mixture of things really” he mumbles and Sam says nothing, just waits.

“Well we found this way to stop the vamps but that's only possible if we send the alpha and his ‘elite’ back to purgatory” Dean says and here's a gasp of shock, waiting for Sam to nerd out.

“Purgatory is real?!” He exclaims and Dean nods.

“Yeah pretty much and uh yeah…so for it you need this lock and key, one vamp has it and me or Cas wears the other but we don't know the consequences of the mark so we went for the safest option which was me and Cas wasn't too happy…”

“So Cas is a little pissed he'll get over it right?” Sam asks and Dean wishes it was that simple.

“Well it's uh…it's more complicated? We're kinda…you know” he cringes and hopes Sam understands which he does and makes a long ‘ohhhh’ noise.

“So without getting to girly, I’m worried” he tries to explain “Cas just stormed off and I don't know what he's gunna do…I knew everything was a bad idea” he mumbles even if the idea of how they were before hurt like a bitch.

“No Dean it's not, this can be a good thing you have to see it like that or you won't get through, you'll need that support Dean I can guarantee Cas will come around he's just as worried as you are, give him a little time ok?”

Dean nods but remembers Sam can't see him.

“Yeah ok fine” he mumbles and Sam huffs.

“By the way I'm going to be there when you get this mark on, I want to help” Sam says with clear stubbornness in his tone.

“No, no Sam I'm already worrying about Cas I don't need you to get hurt too” Dean complains.

“No I'm going which also means you better get this mark after the wedding because you're not bailing and we're not cancelling” he says sternly and Dean glares.

“Course I ain't going to bail, it'll take a while anyway as we need the vamps present for it to work” Dean replies and Sam hums.

“Well I've gotta get back to work alright I'll see if I can do a little research on it, leave Cas to stew for a little while and call him and I'm also really happy that you two are together, took your fucking time” Sam then hangs up suddenly and Dean glares lightly at his phone.

The call did calm him a lot, he's seeing sense now and all he has to do now is wait….wait and wait.  
Cas will come around, he has to and maybe having an extra person on it will help out, he just hopes he doesn't get Sam hurt as there's Jess to concern.  
He rubs a hand down his face and decides that a long nap is a very good decision right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait hope you like the chapter!


	22. Chapter twenty-one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lil bit of smut, don't get exited though probably isn't that great XD

“-Call me back when you get this” 

Dean sighs heavily and drops his phone onto the couch, he knows he should wait but it's been a few hours and he's nervous, what if something happened and Cas is bleeding out or something?  
Dean gets out his computer and tries to remember what Charlie taught him.  
It takes maybe forty-five minutes for him track down Cas’ phone and he's very prideful that he almost forgets why he was doing it in the first place.

Castiel is in some sort of park, one with a lake and a small forest with winding paths for joggers and dog walkers. It's a pleasant day with clear blue skies and warm weather meaning it's busy with families and friends, all making the hunt for Cas harder.

“C’mon Cas” he mumbles and goes round and round the park trying to find Cas, his worry only rising, even if he's doesn't really know what could happen to him in a public place.

_Maybe you're more worried about what will happen to you._

__

It wasn't a helpful thought but it was partly true, he's scared Sam is wrong and that Cas really will break it off with him, maybe even choose to go as far as to not be a friend anymore and back to stone face. 

He really needs to find him.

As he looks past each gap in large hedge-like trees he spots him, sitting at a bench looking out at a lake in his tan coat, wild hair.  
Dean is overcome with a sense of relief and warmth, just seeing the back of him makes him calmer but he dreads going over to him, walking over to him could change everything or nothing at all and he doesn't like that one bit.  
He can't chicken out though so he takes a shaky breath and heads over.

Dean sits down quietly next to him, looking out at the lake as two teens paddle some swan float around the island in the middle, laughing and cheering.

“You thought about it then” Dean says after a break and Cas sighs.

“Yes” he says, voice giving no sign of what he's feeling.

Dean bites his cheek and continues to look out, ducks flying over and landing with a skidding splash.  
“And?” Dean asks, heart thumping and throat tight, God when did he get so sappy?!

“You made a decision without my consent, it was a selfish decision and it made you a coward…but-“ Cas rubs at his jaw with angst “-I'd be the same, if something does happen to you…I couldn't bare it but we haven't really got a choice and times running out, Rowena may have been right about my emotions affecting me, we don't know but I guess it's safer you bare the mark” Cas is looking down at his hands, casting a quick glance at Dean, who gives a meek smile.

Dean can't help but let out a breath of relief at the answer, he's still worried about what could happen but right now he just wants to kiss Cas, hard.

“That great—really, I'm sorry you found out like that but it'll be fine” Dean says with a smile which isn't all that real, he shouldn't make promises like that.

“Yes maybe it will” Cas says, hand twitching like he wanted to reach out but resides against it.  
Castiel stands up, looking down at Dean who does the same.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Cas asks.  
Deans probably been twice over this park looking for Cas but he looks into Cas’ eye and can't help but nod with a smile. 

 

Charlie emails them some files she'd found later that evening about purgatory and anything close to the spell needed.  
“I've still got that list, there's some pretty odd stuff here” Cas says as he looks through his list.

“Like what?” Dean asks as he finally finished printing of pages from his old printer that takes some fixing.

“The toe of a whore” Cas says with surprise and Dean looks over with shock.

“A toe?” He asks and Cas shrugs. 

“Well we've got a load of lore to read so we'll leave that to Rowena to figure out” 

Dean drops the pile of pages onto the dining table and then sits down himself.

“Why does saving the world require so much reading” Dean grumbles and takes a gulp on his lukewarm coffee.

“It'll be worth it” Cas says and picks up half the stack.

 

It's late into the night when they decide to stop, they've had take out and now keeping awake on coffee but Deans eyes sting and his head throbs from exhaustion.

“Think we can rap this up for today, get some sleep” Dean says and Cas nods silently.

“You want to uh…stay the night?” Dean asks as he gets up, rubbing his palms down his thighs awkwardly.

“That would be nice” Cas says with a smile as he looks up at him. 

 

Dean cherishes the warmth of Cas’ back to his chest as the light goes out, it's been so long since he's had someone in his bed besides Cas, he's never cuddled without sex before either but even then it was never really comforting, it had the same attachment as the sex before…but this with Cas, it was nice.

“Dean” Cas says into the dark.

“Hm?” Dean replies, eyes still shut with his head buried in Cas’ hair. 

“I know being with me can be tough, I've already proved that…” 

“Don't be silly Cas, you were being completely rational” Dean says, raising his head when Cas turns, looking down at him in the dark. Cas licks his lips and scrunches his brow.

“Still, you'd feel less worried if you were with someone else” Cas says lowly in the dark, eyes shining in the moonlight where if floods through the window.

“Cas…” 

“Let me thank you” Cas says, brushing his knuckle against Dean’s cheek. 

“What?” Dean asks, subconsciously leaning into the affectionate touch.

Cas pushes Dean slowly so he lies back down and leans over him.

“Let me…thank you” Cas says and kisses him lightly.

Deans eyes almost bulge with realisation and with open eyes kisses back, Cas kisses him once more but deeper the heat of his mouth making Dean groan.  
“No Cas you don't need to” Dean says even if the slowly growing pleasure between his legs is saying otherwise.

“I want to” Cas says with a husky voice, kissing down Dean’s throat.

“What are you—I don't want to force you” Dean says, voice growing ragged as Cas grinds down.

“All I want to do is…” 

Dean feels Cas’ warm palm press down on the thin fabric of his pants where he's beginning to swell.

“Well you twisted my arm…” Dean grunts and Cas groans lowly kissing him deeply on the lips, wet with saliva as their tongues collide.

Cas drags his lip down the curve of his jaw to his neck, breath hot and wet.They kick out of their sleep clothes, he gets his pants trapped on his ankles but Cas rips them off and disappears under the covers.  
Without the sight of him every suck and kiss to his stomach or his ribs makes him jolt and gasp.

“Damn Cas” he mumbles, searching under the covers until he finds the thick mess of his hair.

His lips lower to the beginning of his crotch, kissing the hairs and gripping his hips so he stays down. 

“Stop teasing” Dean snaps, his cock beginning to throb.

Cas hums and kisses at the base, his lips soft and sending jolts up his spine making him buck and grunt.  
He begins to suck at the edges, licking and kissing until he reaches the tip which is leaking and red.

“I said stop teasing, thought this was a thank you!” Dean snaps and Cas chuckles and licks at the tip.

“Patience Dean” he mumbles and Dean bites his lip hard. 

Then he feels the wet heat as the head is swallowed down, the strong suction of swollen lips moving across his raw skin making him shiver. He kisses and licks at the tip, encouraged by Dean’s hands when they press him down until Cas begins to go deeper, slipping down his length until his nose touches the base and Dean looks down in shock,  
“Where the hell is your gag reflex man?!” He exclaims and Cas hums deeply sending vibrations over his sensitive skin making him bite down on his knuckle.  
He sucks hard making a noise and Dean feels the tightness of his throat as it constricts making him grunt, trying to hold back a moan.  
He begins to bob his head, tongue flat every time he goes up and Dean feels embarrassingly close to cumming.  
Once Cas begins to play with his balls Dean can't take it anymore and trying to warn Cas, he grips hard at his hair but Cas only goes deeper and swallows around him, pushing him over the edge.  
He cums with a loud moan, back arched as he presses Cas’ head into his crotch.  
Dean drops with heavy gasps, dick twitching in Cas’ mouth, becoming too much to muscle as the spasms.  
Castiel slips off, the sheets raising as he sits back with heavy pants.

“Damn” Dean says and breathes heavily and grins up at Cas who's flushed and his eyes hooded.  
Dean looks down at the bulge in Cas’ boxers and leans on his elbows with a raised eyebrow.

“Think I should return the favour” Dean says breath still heavy and Cas grins but shakes his head.

“It's fine, I said it was a thank you” Cas says and lies down, looking up at him.

“But I want to” Dean cups Cas’ face, stubble tickling his palm “…unless you don't want to because…” he says with a serious look despite his flushed cheeks and the dried cum on his inner thighs. Cas bites his lip, looking away.

“You can but don't…” he grips Dean's hand “maybe just your hand” he whispers and Dean smiles, kissing him long and deep.

“Of course, I'll make it the best hand job you've ever had” Dean says with a grin and a wink making Cas chuckle.

Dean kisses him again, slipping his tongue passed his open lips tasting his own cum and pulls him out of his boxers which gets a sigh of relief, he's angry and red but Dean just strokes slowly after moistening his palm making Cas gasp and grip at his naked shoulder, digging in his nails.  
Cas is quiet, only grunts and small moans which almost sound like whimpers, unlike the sharp rolls of his hips, fucking up into his palm.  
“Dean” he pants and Dean sucks at the hot flesh of his neck where stubble still is, the roughness pleasing against his lips.  
Cas orgasms with his lips brushing against Deans, sharing hot breaths as he jolts and cums over Dean’s hand calling his name with his eyes firmly shut.  
“You're beautiful Cas” Dean mumbles into his forehead and then kisses it, he'd be more embarrassed by the statement but he's still loose from his own orgasm and seeing Cas cum so elegantly just makes him feel drunk on it.  
Cas huffs into his neck, curling into Dean until his arms are wrapped around his middle and he slips into the slot under Dean's chin with a content sigh.

“You are” Dean mumbles and Cas hums.

“You've already got me in your bed Dean Winchester” Cas mumbles and Dean chuckle, kissing him loudly on the ear. It's rather yucky to be lying in shared cum but he's so tired and Cas is a human furnace, radiating heat causing his eyes to drop.

“Thank you Cas, for everything” Dean whispers.

“Thank you Dean” Cas replies and Dean doesn't argue, kissing him on the cheek and wraps his arms around him tighter.  
“G’night Cas” he mumbles, eyes slipping shut.

“Goodnight Dean”

 

********************

 

Dean wakes to the heavy weight of Cas on his side, he likes him close but he's cutting off circulation so he nudges him over until snuggles under the covers.  
Dean looks down at the wild tuft of hair that sticks out and smiles fondly, ruffling it and getting a whine in reply.  
He hears someone sip loudly at a drink and jumps, looking over and seeing Charlie leaning against the frame with a mug in her hands.

“Oh for-“

“Mornin’ Dean “ she says with a wicked grin. 

Dean glares “Charlie-“

“Hey-“ She puts up a hand in surrender “-I ain't judging…just saying I told you so” she says and quickly walks back to the dining table.

“I called to ask if I could bring a few books over to do with the case but you didn't answer so I decided to pop in” she says.

“Usually when someone doesn't answer their phone it means they're busy” he says back and rubs his hand down his face.

“Yeah well doesn't every normal human being hunt monsters as a job? No, you could've be dying or something” she says once she popped her head round.  
“Do you mind getting changed, I'll make us breakfast” she says and disappears once more.  
Dean rolls his eyes but reaches over and pulls one dresser draw open to get out a pair of boxers.  
“Wake your boyfriend up too” she says and he hears the bang of doors.

“He's not…” 

He doesn't know what they are.

He slips his legs through the holes with a glare.

He hears Charlie snort.

“You can't be serious?” She asks and he hears the sizzle of the frying pan “I knew you were in denial but woah, this is far even for you” he can hear the smirk in her voice and really wants to fall back asleep.  
“Tell me-“ he hears bacon hitting the pan “-what's it like being so far up your own ass?” She snarks.

“Charlie” he snaps and she laughs.

“Well you can't expect me to take you seriously” she replies.

Dean rolls his eyes and gets out the warmth of his bed, regretting it instantly thanks to the cold.

“I don't know” he mumbles as he finds an old pair of jeans and an undershirt.  
“It's not rocket science Dean , you like him more than a one night stand or you don't, what is it?” 

He sighs but knows she’s right, Cas is no one night stand, He's someone he's sees himself with—for a long time. 

“He's more than a one night stand” He mumbles but she hears either way.

“Well then he's your boyfriend, told you it was simple” she says happily “now wake your boyfriend up” she says in a light mocking voice.

“Shut up” he grumbles but climbs back on the bed and shakes Cas,

“Hey Cas rise and shine” he whispers and Cas grumbles.  
“C”mon baby” he whispers, flushed at the words but liking it anyhow.

“Hmm” Cas mumbles lying on his back.

“Up and at em’ “ Dean says poking the man shoulder.

“Dean?” He asks, eyes cracking open.

“Mornin’ sunshine, sleep well?” He asks and Cas smiles.

“Best I've ever had” he says with a smirk and Dean grins giving him a sloppy kiss, morning breath and all.

“Charlie is in the other room, get into some clothes and I'll make you some coffee alright, maybe take a shower too” He says with a slight grimace.

“Charlie what?” Cas asks frown deepening “how'd she get in?” He asks.

“Girl doesn't know privacy if it hit her in the face, probably picked the lock my doors falling apart anyway” he says and Cas smiles.

“Every time we’re in bed together someone catches us” Cas says and they chuckle.

“Yeah gods not really on our side” he says and Cas tilts his head, eyes fully open with a fond smile.

“I'm not so sure about that” he says and cups Dean's face, Dean blushes.

“It's too early to be sappy” he says and Cas rolls his eyes.

“So does she know?” He asks.

“Yeah I do and I can hear you talking, don't wanna hear it” she shouts and they grunt, separating.

“Well maybe you'll think next time before breaking in huh?” He asks and she laughs.

“Nah it's not that bad, ya’ll are cute and Cas is a keeper” she says and they laugh.  
Dean pats Cas’ chest and gets up to go help with breakfast.

After both taking a shower they head back to the nice smell of a proper breakfast, luckily nothing was burnt by Charlie who isn't exactly a master shelf.

“Have you never heard of cleaning before?” Charlie asks as she puts some files on to the couch.

“It got late and we were tired” Dean explains and pours Cas’ coffee who smiles in thanks. 

“Yeah…tired” she says with a smirk, putting down plates of eggs bacon and toast.  
“Shut up” Dean mumbles with a red face.

“Awe” Charlie teases and pats his cheek before sitting down.  
“Man Kevin owes me so much money” she mumbles as the others sit down.

“Kevin?money?…were you bettin’ on us?” Dean asks with a deep frown and Charlie shrugs.

“He didn't believe you had the balls to admit your feelings, makes sense but I had faith in you Dean” she says and sips her coffee.

“Why did you want us to get together?” Cas asks as squirts brown sauce onto his plate.

“You'd be cute together and all the touching…and the looks…that sexual tension” both men blush “it would be a lot easier to do our jobs and just be around you two once you…released that tension” she says with a nasty smirk.

“Literally no privacy” Dean says and digs in.

Charlie snorts “shut up you like it” she says and Cas snorts.

“Don't you gang up on me too” Dean says and points a finger.  
Cas raises his hands in surrender “still on your side” he says and they laugh, getting into their nice meals.

“So these books you planned to bring, an excuse to see us with our pants down or genuinely trying to help?” Dean asks as puts away the plates.

“Yes for help actually, its easier to have the whole book rather than on paper, some of its so old no one bothered to put it on the server, had to go down to our dusty library and find it myself” Charlie says as she drys forks.

“Is it useful?” Cas asks and she shrugs.

“It's not what has the spell, your witch friend must have the only copy but it does mention the witch who made the spell and it could give us some clues about how the spell worked” she says and they nod.

“Makes sense, guessing it's not in English though” Dean says and Charlie hums.

“Yeah Latin, but I can translate some and so can Cas” she says and Dean nods feeling a little useless, he knows some Latin probably enough to get through reading it, Charlie is pretty fluent and he's guessing Cas isn't too far behind.

“You can still help Dean” Cas says and passes him with a stroke to his back, making him blush but feel giddy.

“Yeah I'll I'd do my best” Dean says and follows Cas to where Charlie is sitting on the couch.

“Alright so we have this old thing and a few pages from it photocopied for translation” Charlie says and puts pile between him and Cas.  
Dean grabs a chair and sits besides Cas.  
Charlie takes some highlighters and post-it-notes on the coffee table and they get to work.

The first piece of text Dean reads it's about purgatory, some extravagant explanation of what it is, the hell for the real monsters and all that.  
But nothing to lead to the spell.  
They spend an hour or so looking through pages of pointless text until Charlie finds part of the spell they needed.

“So it says here that it is of great sacrifice for you to seal the gate, to lock it you must open it to allow whatever back to where it came from, this requires strong magic meaning powerful ingredients and a very long spell”

They all sigh and Dean rubs at his unshaven jaw.

“So all we gained from this is more problems, brilliant” Dean snaps.

“Well it was inevitable we find out anyway since there's no other way to get the vampires back into purgatory” Cas adds unhelpfully.

“Yeah ok but it doesn't tell us how and no one knows the consequences” Dean replies.

“Has your witch not said anything?” Charlie asks.

“Only the same crap about great consequences and all” Dean complains and Charlie sighs.

“Well guess you've gotta give her a call” she says and they nod.

 

Rowena gets to them within a second of their call, she takes a shine to Charlie and raises an eyebrow at the books.

“You don't trust me?” She asks and takes a seat at the dining table.

“No but this was so we could find out more, not like you told us how the spell goes” Dean says and she sighs.

“You never asked” she replied with mock innocence.

Dean glares.

“Alright so I didn't tell you, but I can now so take a seat” she says so they all crowd around the small table and wait.

“Here is the piece of text I found many centuries back, it never seemed important but I figured why not have it lying around, the witch was rather paranoid when she'd made it, convinced vampires were after her and after she was burned at the stake her books were forgotten, of course as I said I knew it may be important so I took what she had and once I was… let go, the coven forgot about the books, it isn't exactly legal amongst witches for such rare text to be taken about what they consider…a common witch-“ she looks offended at the title but goes on “-but anyway, the form in which it was written is very old magic and most witches who know it are dead, except for me” 

“So how does it work?” Dean asks.

“Well as I've said, it requires all the vampires present for it to work but also enough power to open the gate which is a whole ‘nother level of power which sadly I do not posses” she says.

“So who do you need who's more powerful than a witch?” Cas asks.

“Another sort of creature—which is not of importance but he will be needed, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it” she says with a smile.

“So we leave the opening purgatory to this mysterious man what do we do in the meantime?” Dean asks.

“Well a lot of the ingredients for the spell I can get myself but it would be easier if you get some your self, like herbs and sigils which have have to be made of a certain powder, it's all on the list”

“I can get started on locating all the vamps we need” Charlie says and the others nod.

“Me and Cas will get the ingredients then” Dean says.

“And I'll talk to a friend of mine about the gate, how wonderfully organised I'll be in touch” Rowena says and then in a second she's gone.

“Well brilliant” Dean says, not too sure how pleased he really is.

“Lets just appreciate that we have a solid plan more than we did before” Cas says and Dean sighs but nods anyway.

“Well sadly I must go into work on a Saturday to use the equipment, I'll cover my tracks you lot get cooking with that spell” Charlie says and slaps the table before getting up to fetch her bag and jacket.

“Thanks for helping out Charlie” Dean says and walking her to the door.

“Hey this is what I signed up for, all part of the job—the real job, not whatever desk work I did back at work, I'm glad” she says with a grin.

Dean hugs her tight and she hugs back before heading out the door.

“A lot of these ingredients required going into the wild” Cas says so a frown.

“Ah it's fine, I know a shop which sells loads of this ritual crap, not the knock off crap either” Dean says with a smile.

“Should, we go now?” Cas asks and Dean shrugs.

“Got nothing better to do” Dean says and Cas nods, grabbing his coat off of the stand. 

 

The shop they head to is a pawn shop but secretly sells anything needed for a spell, they may do things cleaner now a days but spells are always needed. 

“Morning Tara” Dean says when he steps in.

“Winchester” she says with a grin, leaning on the desk “long time” she adds and Dean shrugs.

“Busy days” he replies.

“What is it you need?” She asks and Castiel takes out the slip of paper.

“Anything on this list that you have” Cas says and she raises her eyebrow.

“Hello to you too” she says.

“This is my partner Novak, he's a little cold” Dean says with a smile and nudges Cas who glares at him.  
“Huh” she says and look down at the list, raising her eyebrows as she reads.  
“Charred baby bones, eye balls—what kinda spell is this?” She asks with a grin.

“A very old one, think you've got it?” Dean asks,

“Well yeah most of it, don't have any whores toes though” she says with a grin.

“Well as much as you have is good” Dean replies.

“I'll get right on it” she says and head to the back of the shop through an open door.

Dean walks around the room, looking at odd things, Cas is leaning against the counter waiting listening to the radio as plays some tunes quietly.

“Check of out” Dean says with a grin and knocks the bobble head of a cat.

Castiel raises an eyebrow and Dean just roll his eyes, putting it back and knocking a bell hanging in the cabinet whilst he was at it. The thing clings and clangs in the small room making him flinch.

“Dean do I have to put a harness on you, come wait over here” Cas snaps and Dean raises his hands.

“Jeez mom sorry” Dean snaps but walks over to him after he stopped the bell.

“Where are we going to get a whores toe from?” Cas asks and Dean shrugs.

“Go find a strip joint, take one?” Dean suggests sarcastically.

Cas glares “don't be stupid” Cas says, not noticing the lack of truth. 

Dean rolls his eyes and taps his fingers on the glass top.

“Maybe Rowena can get some of it” Dean offers and Cas nods.

“Why can't they just need flowers and the feet of rabbits, you know we need demons blood right?” Cas adds and Dean frowns.

“For gods sake” Dean mutters and then Tara comes back with two small boxes of stuff.

“Here's all the stuff, have fun with your little ritual and play safe” she says and Dean grins. 

 

When they get back to Dean's place Rowena is sitting and waiting, a smile when they enter.

“What do you want?” Dean asks as he places the boxes on the table.

“So kind, you forget that I'm helping you” she says and Dean rolls his eyes.

“All right why are you here?” Dean asks and tosses his jacket onto the couch. 

“I have a case for you, to help with the ingredients because as you've guessed you can't get it all in a pawn shop” Rowena says.

“How did you—never mind, what's the case?” Dean asks.  
“Toledo Ohio, a recent murder showing signs of a siren, you need to scavenge her eyes…and stop the killings of course” Rowena adds “I suggest you get on it whilst you're still suspended, goodbye”  
In a second she's vanished leaving a post-it with some names and addresses on. 

“We never catch a break” Dean complains and picks up the post-it. 

 

********************

 

They start the drive the next day at five, it was weird how much had changed since the last time they'd been on a case but this was better, Cas picking music on occasion and the relaxed banter between them with no awkward silences. 

“So what's the case about exactly?”’ Dean asks as Cas looks through the documents he'd gotten emailed to him by Toledo’s police department.

“A man named Adam Benson bludgeons his wife with a meat tenderiser” Cas says exchanging a grimace with Dean “it was discovered that he was having an affair and was deeply in love with a stripper named Jasmine, he was remorseful of the death” 

“Wow a stripper? Nice” Dean says with a grin and with a glare from Cas it turns meek.

“Well he doesn't know that much about her except for the fact that she works at a club called the honey wagon” Cas says.

“Huh hardly knows her but loves her deeply, sounds like a siren to me” Dean says and Cas nods.

“Yes he doesn't seem to remember much about what happened just an explosive anger” Cas says.

“So do we talk to him first or go find the stripper?” Dean asks.

“I guess we should asks him some questions, just to be certain” Cas answers and Dean nods.

“We should be getting into Toledo by eight so we’ll go talk to him tomorrow, have the toxicology reports been done?” Dean asks.

“Yes high levels of oxytocin was found in his blood stream, a clear sign of a siren" 

“So high levels huh?” Dean asks and Cas nods.

“Very” Cas says with raised eyebrows and then turns off his phone

“Think that was our confirmation, all the signs of a siren” Dean says and Cas nods “I mean, who falls in love with a stripper” Dean says with a grin and Cas nods “tell me Cas…am I your siren?” He asks with a grin.  
Cas looks over with a bored glare and Dean chuckles, looking back at the road.

“Well you do look too handsome to be real, so maybe I am imagining you” Cas answers making Dean blush which he tries to hide with a cocky grin.

“Don't sweet talk me” Dean says still blushing and smiling.

“I know you like it, that blush is too cute” Cas says like he's looking at a puppy, pulling at his cheek.

“I am not cute, I'm a warrior” Dean snaps and Cas bursts into laughter.

“Awe look at that” he says back and Dean glares over at him, slapping his chest.

“Don't emasculate me” he grumbles and Cas laughs again making Dean feel all fuzzy at the deep joyful sound.

“So fragile” Cas says and Leans over, kissing him on the cheek that making Dean blush even darker, he probably looks like a tomato.

“You react so well to affection” Cas says into his ear and Dean snorts.

“Yeah and it's distracting, don't make me crash” Dean says and keeps his eyes on the road even when Cas kisses his neck wetly “Cas…” he says with warning and Cas hums, sucking at the skin “I swear if you give me a hickey I'll pull this car over and show you what's what” Cas only laughs and begins to nip and suck at his throat.  
Dean huffs loudly and he's not one to make empty threats so he pulls onto the side of the road into the gravel on the edge of a forest and takes off his seatbelt.

“I warned you” Dean says with a grin and pushes Cas back to his side, attacking his mouth.  
Cas moans loudly into his mouth in shock.

“This you showing me what's what?” Cas teases and Dean nibbles at the skin of his neck.

Back on the road they're grinning with purple makes all over their necks.

 

Dean felt quite giddy when he asked for one king instead of two queens, knowing Cas is back in the car waiting.  
The woman at the desk seems to have have an idea about why he's grinning and she only smirks as she hands back his card.

“Room four, have a nice stay” she says with a smile and he nods, tripping on the mat at the door where it's folded over, she laughs and he blushes.

 

“You know maybe the hickeys weren't such a good idea, we can't hide them under our collars very well” Cas grumbles as he takes off his tie.

“You're fault” Dean retorts as he takes out his wash bag from his duffle.

“Don't be such a child” Cas says back as he folds his tie.

“Hey who started the teenage make out session” Dean says walking over to Cas who's glaring.

“You're the one that stopped the car, not me” Cas says with raised eyebrows.

“Bullshit if you weren't eating my freakin’ neck I wouldn't need to of stopped” Dean snaps back and Cas snorts.

“Maybe you should have more control over yourself then” he says with a smile.

“I can never control myself around you” Dean says and wishes he hadn't, god why is his filter so bad?

Cas looks up at him with shocks but his eyes get deeper and he surges forward, wrapping his arms around his neck and locking their lips together in a sloppy uncoordinated kiss.  
Dean groans and pulls Cas closer, pushing his tongue at the others mans lips who complies with heavy breathes.  
Dean’s just starting to get really into it, smoothing his hands down to the curve of Cas’ ass, but Cas still under him his lips stumbling against his. Dean looks down at him after he pulls their lips apart, seeing the regret and struggle on his face in a deep frown.

“I'm sorry Dean…” Cas mumbles looking down and Dean sighs despite the uncomfortable feeling growing in his pants he pats Cas’ shoulder, kissing him on the forehead, clearing away the stress lines.

“It's no problem Cas, whatever you're ready for” Dean says and Cas nods leaving an awkward silence.

“I'm going to take a shower…uh” Cas says with a small blush and smile, so Dean takes his arms away from the other man waist and lets him get his stuff, escaping to the bathroom

Dean sighs as he watches the door shut but smiles, they've come far and even if he doesn't get to touch that amazing ass just yet he's perfectly fine with what they have, just getting to hold Cas is enough.  
He sighs once more and rips off his tie.

 

“There's a spring digging in my back” Cas complains once he's under the covers.

Dean chuckles as he goes through the channels on TV, finding some crime drama. Cas is still complaining, making the bed squeak as he gets comfy.  
Cas has gotten quite vocal when it comes to poor motel conditions, Dean never would've guessed based off of Cas from months back the he could be such a baby.

“Dude how long have you been in the FBI?” Dean asks as he puts down the remote.

“Well when it was down to me I went to slightly better motels, why do you always go to the shabby ones?” Cas asks, looking up from where he's lying down.

“Well despite being an agent we don't get payed much, so this is all I can get” Dean says with a shrug and Cas hums.

“Yes they must find it funny that we kill ghosts” Cas says and Dean chuckles “my parents had a lot of money waiting for me so I guess I'm a little better off” Cas says thoughtfully.

“Guess we should go to bed” Dean says, turning the TV off. 

“Yeah I'm so tired” Cas mumbles as he snuggles deeper under the the thick covers.

Dean turns off the lamp and slides down under the covers, streaks of orange streetlight slipping through the slats of the blinds.  
Cas snuggles up to him and Dean drops his arm around him and the gentle sound of Cas as he falls into sleep with his radiating warmth sends him into a content rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean to write so much couple shit but hey it was fun...and cute.  
> Hope you enjoyed, kudos and comments is loveee!!!


	23. Chapter twenty-three

Dean wipes the dried sweat off of his body in the shower, the hot water almost scorching making him go red all over and his skin somewhat numb. But if feels good, it’s real.

He'd woken with a start once more with another nightmare despite Cas wrapped around him, that only caused him to elbow Cas in the jaw so as well as embarrassed he feels guilty.

Castiel had assured him everything was fine even as he rubbed at his jaw, Dean still felt panicked and just needed out of there for a second so running to the bathroom was all he could do in his boxers.

As he dries off there's a hesitant knock at the door so Dean pulls at the handle so it opens an inch, inviting him in.

He looks at the large mirror on the wall over the sink a swiped mark through the steamed glass. Dean notices he’s forgotten to shave for a few days causing the stubble to grow a little more, he sighs and rubs at his jaw.

He can see Cas behind him who's got a slight redness to his skin he'd been hit at but nothing seriously damaged. Cas looks sad and a little tired, maybe because it’s early or because Dean’s just a hassle.

“You don't need to be ashamed Dean” Cas mumbles, deep voice reverberating slightly off the tiled walls.

Dean just huffs and starts to get out the cream to shave his beard. Castiel comes up and hesitantly leans against his back, kisses the bare skin of Dean's back.

He shivers at the light touch and bites his lip as Cas snakes his arms around his front, hands calloused but nice against his skin.

“Really Dean, you're not the only one…I don't know what you've been through but nightmares aren't something to be ashamed of” Cas’ voice vibrates against his skin and he closes his eyes.

He knows Cas is right he's told himself this before but shouting every time he wakes up like a child never made him feel prideful.

“Yeah maybe, sorry for hitting you” he mumbles, wetting a cloth and dampening his skin.

Cas huffs and kisses the top knob of his spine “it's fine, not even a scratch you forget an elbow to the jaw isn't the worst thing done to me” Cas mumbles and they laugh, sick fucks.

 

Later on in the day when the police stations are open they drive over to speak to the perp, Adam Benson.

The chief gives them the files to look through and let them have an interview room to speak to him.

“So, Mr. Benson” Dean starts and before he can say another word the man sobs “sir?” He asks and the man shrugs, going to rub his eye but the cuffs stopping him.

“I just…I dunno-“ he shrugs and looks between them quickly “-I was so out of control I didn't even know what happened, it just felt so strong and then Vicky said…I lost control-I don't know how but I've never done this before I-“

“Ok you're going to have to calm down Mr. Benson, we’re not here to drag up bad memories but more about someone else” Castiel says, deep voice placating.

The man nods and takes a breath before looking up with a frown “Who?” He asks.

“You know her by Jasmine” Dean prompts and the man has a look of realization sparkling in his eyes, with a hesitant smile.

“Yeah…Jasmine” he mutters, fiddling with the chain of his cuffs.

“She was a stripper at the Honey Wagon correct?” Dean asks and the man glares at him.

“Exotic dancer” Adam corrects and Dean holds his hands up.

“Ok so this…exotic dancer, how long had you been seeing her?” Dean asks.

“I don't know maybe a month or so, it happened so fast you know” he says like he wasn't sitting in a jump suit and being arrested for battering his wife with a meat tenderizer. Some of that siren magic must be in his veins.

“Have you seen her around a lot before it?” Cas asks and the man shrugs.

“I guess not, pretty sure if I'd seen her before I would've done something about it” he says with a smile.

Both agents raise their brows.

“Did the other girls know her? What do you really know about this woman?” Cas asks with a frown and the man looks down with thought.

“Guess I never did, not like I was asking about her dad whilst she was…on the job” he replies.

“But when things became serious, what then?” Dean asks and the man looks perplexed “how old was she? Where's she from? She like cats or dogs? What did you know?”

“I don't ok, I don't know nothing! I just…it was some fun and it was good, Vicky was my wife she cooked meals and we played golf together at the club but…the wildness of Jasmine, that was special” he explains, making no sense at all…well to someone with good morals anyway.

“Love?” Cas asks and the man looks shocked “Do you think it was love?” Cas explains and the man looks kinda scared.

“I dunno”

 

******************

“Well that was practically pointless” Dean says as he starts the engine.

“At least we know for sure that this is a siren” Cas replies, strapping in.

“Yeah but how are we going to find a siren in a strip joint named Jasmine, that's a needle amongst a whole bunch of needles” Dean says and Cas huffs.

“Well we can try tonight, maybe someone knows something” Cas says.

“Overt or covert?” Dean asks and Cas hums.

“I’m not well educated on clubs but I assume two Feds walking in and asking questions isn't going to help” Cas answers and Dean grins.

“You're growing Cas. Welcome to the adult world” Dean says and grips his shoulder quickly.

“Ha ha” Cas says dully and looks out the window.

That evening they head out to the busy club, it’s dark with flashing lights and loud music, girls walk in little costumes and plastic smiles balancing trays and themselves on laps.

There's girls on stages spreading their legs and whipping round polls all gaining shouts and cheers from the patrons.

Dean would've loved this a year or so back but now he feels weird with his technically boyfriend trailing behind him.

“Wish there was a comfier way of doing this” Cas grumbles when they stop, looking out of place than the others despite his casual wear.

“C’mon lets go ask some girls about Jasmine, maybe sneak in the back see if she's hiding anywhere” Dean says and pats Cas on the shoulder.

“How can I help you?” A girl with short black hair and filled lips, sparkling red and glitter.

“We heard about a Jasmine” Dean says and she huffs.

“Don't know her” she says with a wink and Dean sighs, deciding to reach for his wallet.

“Do you know who she really is?” Dean asks and she bites her lip, looking at the full wallet.

“How cheap you think I am?” she snarks and Dean looks around the place, pointing it out with his eyes. She rolls her eyes but nods.

“Yes I know Jasmine, or Kate whatever” she says and Dean nods, fingering the cash and hands over a few notes.

“You know where she is right now?” He asks and she shrugs.

“Hasn't been in work for a few days, know where she lives though…not sure if I should give you the address though” she says looking down at his wallet.

Dean rolls his eyes but gives over some more before heading back to where Cas is awkwardly standing, a woman in white smiling at him and he's blushing hard.

“Cas” Dean says and Castiel snaps his eyes to him.

“Dean hey, uh goodbye…chastity” he mumbles and she looks a little put out but someone calls her and she struts off.

Dean grins over at the flustered man

“Have some fun whilst I was doing all the work?” Dean jeers and Cas coughs.

“She was…persistent” he says and Dean chuckles before leading Cas out by a hand on his back.

 

“Think we should collect these eyes now or tomorrow?” Dean asks and Cas hums, looking down at the note.

“Good to get it over with right?” He asks and Dean shrugs.

“Guess so, mind navigating me to this place?” Dean asks and Cas nods, getting out his phone.

They end up at a motel some miles away from the club, it's one of those honeymoon suites but it's dirt cheap and besides a Main Street.

“Seems the type of place a siren would camp out, think she's in?” Dean speculates as they get out.

“I'm guessing she's laying a little low right now, her ‘lover’ is heading to jail of course and the fact that he's openly talked about her is raising questions”

“Yeah guess so, see anyone at the desk?” Dean asks as he peers through the blinds covering the reception.

“No, guess we break in then”

 

Dean finds a window with a broken latch leading into an empty room, the key card had been left on the table so luckily they could get in.

“So room ten” Dean mumbles in the quiet of the corridor.

“We’re just going to break in, what if this woman is seriously just a stripper and we go in with our guns out?” Cas asks and Dean shrugs.

“We’ll pick the lock and if she flies across the room snarling or whatever we’ll know what we're dealing with” Dean explains and Cas shrugs.

“I feel so much safer with you now” Cas says sarcastically, Dean rolls his eyes.

“Kay’ here's the door” Dean whispers.

To their surprise the door’s already open, just a crack but not locked and only a small amount of light has come though the gap. They both look at each other before taking out their guns and going by each side of the door.

Dean counts down from three and on one they swing in guns raised…to an empty room.

“The hell!” Dean says and when he turns to the wall with the door he gets a hard punch to the face, making him stumble. He puts away his gun and punches her swiftly in the nose only making her grunt before she kicks up between his legs and sends three hard punches to his gut, then flinging him across the room.

Cas is on her in a second beating each other to a pulp as Dean gets himself out of the wall.

Dean stumbles up and watches as Cas pushes her up against the wall, blood trickling down her face as they pant, just as he gets out the knife to kill her she changes.

“Hey Cassie” the man says, thick British accent and a smirk across his face.

Instantly Cas freezes, his guard half down but the siren doesn't go for it, just staring at him Cas’ hand still raised with the knife.

“Cas” Dean says, puzzled and swallows hard from the blood in his throat.

“Balthazar” Cas says like a gasp. Dean stares in shock, this is Balthazar and the sirens using his face? But why?

Dean feels his heart plummet, sirens show what they really want, what they desire and for Cas that's Balthazar? The logical part of his brain is saying that it makes sense, Cas is still not over him as he'd only died months back, he may always have feelings for him but he'd still be with Dean.

But Dean is beaten up and his back is aching terribly, vision part blurry so the part that's hurt and jealous about them is strong.

He doesn't say anything though, waiting for when he'll kill him and get this over with.

“Think you can kill poor little me?” He says and Cas readjusts his grip on the blade.

“You're not real, you're a siren” Cas snarls.

“Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself there dear, are you so sure?” He replies.

“Cas…” Dean warns, holding his side.

“Don't be ridiculous I know you're a siren” Cas says, ignoring Dean as he argues.

Balthazar grins and shoves at Cas making him fly across the room into the far wall.

“You can't kill me” he says and he right, Cas can't but Dean can.

He grabs the blade where it had been dropped by Cas and runs up, digging into skin and muscle, looking at the wall as he waits for the sirens body to fall.

Dean kneels besides the body, knife out and dripping his hand with blood that reeks of death, the cold dead face of Cas’ Dead lover.

He hears Cas getting up, stumbling over to where the body is and slumping on the other side.

Cas reaches out, a shaking bloody palm cupping the man’s face as he looks at him. Dean just stares at Cas with sad eyes until he hears the change of the body to the sirens true form.

Cas’ eyes are shining and he gasps and takes his hand away when the body changes to the ugly thing it was originally.

Wordlessly he gets the knife out of its body and starts to carve out the eyes with a cold detachment, eyes still sad.

 

The drive back to the motel after they've cleaned up is quiet, it's dark but the streets are still busy so they get caught in traffic. They also have the problem of why that stripper lead them into a trap in the first place, was she in on it? He didn't know but he's not sure Cas is up for any investigating for the week.

“That's the second time I've seen him dead” Cas says suddenly and Dean looks over for a second before looking at the back lights of the car in front.

“It wasn't really him, you know” Dean tries to add, the argument not very strong. Cas just huffs and looks out the window for the rest of the drive, in dead silence.

 

Back at the motel it's quiet as they head to bed, they tended to their wounds and wrote up reports all with little talk. Dean didn't know how he felt about this situation but he knows how he feels isn't relevant to the circumstances.

 

That talk comes the next day when they're up early still lying in bed. Dean woke to Cas staring at him in the dim light that got though the curtains.

“I know what you must be thinking” Cas mumbles between them, Dean says nothing.

“I don't…I have no idea really, I still love him Dean” Cas mumbles and looks away. Dean swallows and licks his lips. He can hear cars outside but they still talk in whispers and it’s all warm, it’s comforting and Dean doesn’t want to stop this warmth, so he smiles.

“I know…I get it” Dean mumbles and slowly turns Cas back to him with a small smile and a hand cupping his cheek “You probably won't ever be over it…and that's fine” he reassures.

Cas smiles and moves his head so he can kiss the back of Dean's wrist, gripping and snuggling closer.

“This doesn't change how I feel about you, you're really ok with what happened?” Cas asks and Dean nods.

“Course I'm fine” Dean says and stokes a curl from Cas’ face, looking at the cuts across his face. His mouth turns to a smirk and he says “but if you ever need it I can do a pretty decent British accent” Dean teasing, hoping he takes it well.

Cas glares but smiles and pushes him back, leaning half over him with his arms bracketing his head.

“You're an asshole” Cas says.

“Your asshole mate!” Dean says in a shitty British accent, slapping Cas’ beautiful ass. Cas grimaces and smack his arm but also smacks their lips together too.

“That's a horrible accent and if you were my asshole you wouldn't have such a pretty face” he retorts with a cheeky grin.

“Hey handsome. I ain't pretty” Dean argues and Cas laughs.

“Oh sorry Dean Winchester the manly macho man, my handsome prince” Cas mocks. Dean swaps them over, Cas bouncing on the bed making it creak and groan.

“You're the pretty one, angel” Dean says and leans down giving a long deep kiss making Cas whimper and hold his face. They almost forget about their conversation as they suck and kiss at each others mouths, tongues twining lovingly.

“That was a super cheesy line but I'm willing to forget it” Cas says lowly against his lips.

“Oh yeah, what would convince you?” Dean says teasingly, wiggling his hips down onto Cas’ who smacks his ass.

“No horny, just a really good kiss” Cas says so Dean leans down and kisses him slowly but deeply, tongue exploring his mouth as they hold each other and it's quiet but Dean couldn't care if there no talking, this is so much better.

 

*****************

 

After a long morning making out they get ready and head out for some breakfast, they find a nice place to eat Cas with a bagel and Dean with pancakes, both having coffee.

“Think we should find out who that stripper was?” Dean asks and Cas shrugs sipping his coffee.

“It'll be hard to find her, she might not have even known anything” Cas says.

“Think we should leave it, what if she's a siren too?” Dean asks and Cas bites his lip.

“Maybe we can try talk to the owner of the club, maybe he'll talk” Cas offers and Dean snorts.

“Yeah seems unlikely though” Dean says.

“Not sure what we should do” Cas says but bites into his nice sesame seed bagel, filled with salmon and sour cream.

 

The dilemma is solved quickly after a phone call from Charlie, she tells them she's caught sight of two vamps who were at the meeting. She had managed to keep it away from the men of letters, not wanting them to send anyone off or for any security to be heightened around the vamps.

They're not too far away, only a six hour drive to Rockford, Illinois. Charlie said she’d spotted them on some FBI surveillance located around the city. The city was frequented by vampires it turns out and the feds have been watching for a while now, waiting for something vital to the case. Charlie thought it would be good for them to head in and see if they can overhear any useful interesting information.

They store up on food and head out with the sun still rising on the city. It’s heating up even more now but Toledo was somewhat cooler than in Kansas which was a bit of a relief.

“Apparently a worker for the men of letters calls up every now and then for an update on vamp activity, Charlie says she can hold the security off for a few hours but the guards aren’t eager to hide anything and if they see us two snooping around on surveillance they’ll report us to Toni”

Dean sighs at the new information, stretching his arm out on the back of the seat ,”just great, what are they so worried about?” Dean complains.

“The possibility of them losing their jobs” Castiel replies bluntly and Dean rolls his eyes.

“They can just lie to this dude who come round checking up” Dean says looking over at Cas.

“Not everyone likes to break rules Dean” Cas says and Dean rolls his eyes.

Rockford was a big enough city for finding the vamps to become a challenge. They hole up in a small motel which was decent, much better than previous places.

They got up the surveillance on a computer to see where they have gone and after some slow hours of looking at people passing on busy streets they catch the number plate of a stolen car the vamps had been seen around in.

“Got ya” Dean whispers as he grabs his jacket and Cas tucks his gun into his belt.

The car is actually an old green van, it wobbles almost violently in potholes and uneven ground which soon appears more often get out of town and into the residential areas.

Dean stays behind a few cars, putting down the sun visor thanks to the glaring sun.

They carry on before he sees them go down a dead end so they drive past and park at the corner, getting their equipment ready to listen in but also to cause any harm just in case.

 

They find the green van parked on the side of a run down drive way behind another. The house is white paneled and one floor with a big tree out front. All the houses on the street look pretty run down which might not be good.

“Lets hope they don’t have some dog” Dean whispers.

To be discreet they head past the windows out front (they made sure to get out of their suits before) and go over a fence blocking a river, it’s old and filled with green weeds so they go along the bank and round the back of the house.

The yard has a few misplaced items like a tub and a few old bikes as well as broken garage but not much cover besides that.

“Head to the garage-“ Cas whispers “-we can get a good view inside before any one of us gets closer”

Dean nods and they start to sneak and hide before they get to the other side where they hide behind the old garage that looks like it might fall apart any second.

Dean watches through the window, squinting through the reflection of the garden through it. He sees a figure come into his vision who sits down until only the top of his head shows. That must be the living room but it’s clear he’s not there to relax as the TV opposite isn’t on and there someone walking up and down the room.

“Think I got a plan” Dean whispers to Cas “I go over with the equipment and listen in and you guide me over, make sure they don’t notice me...that cool?”

Cas nods so Dean fiddles with the recording they used last time and plugs in the earphones so only he can hear it. They’d stolen some of those pills from the men of letters so their heart rates could no longer be traced.

“Ok I think I’ll head to that bath tub first and then try and roll over to that tree on the right of the house, keep a look out alright?” Dean has his eyes focused on the tub, seeing if he can reach with one role or if he needs to look stupid and army crawl, could he run maybe?

“I think that’s your best option and Dean?” Cas says.

“Yeah?” Dean asks and looks back.

Suddenly Cas’ soft lips are against his, it’s short and sweet but Dean blushes and so does Cas.

“Be careful alright?” Cas says trying to be casual but his eyes look too soft.

Dean rolls his eyes and pulls Cas into him, crashing their lips together.

“This ain’t war you sappy shit” Dean grumbles against Cas’ face, still gripping the back of his neck.

“You ruin every moment we have you know that?” Cas says and Dean snorts, pulling back.

“This isn’t the time for romance, make it up to you later though” Dean whispers with a cocky grin and wink. Cas rolls his eyes and shoves him lightly so he’ll move.

 

With guidance from Cas he begins to half crouch and run across to the tub. The thing was rusty and dirty with murky water in the bottom but it kept him covered.

Cas was watching the window, it looked like they were having some sort of argument, meaning they weren’t paying attention to the two grown men crawling around their back yard.

Castiel nods to Dean who gives a cheesy thumbs up and heads to the tree on the edge of the drive way.

Soon Dean ends up in the dirt below the window, he’s surrounded by weeds and he’s got a nettle sting on his hand.

He fiddles with the earphones and then gets the receiver up to the wall, waiting till the red light comes on showing it’s recording any sound. The walls thin so he can hear through even better than the last attempt, he could even here their muffled voices without it. Dean keeps and eye on Cas as he listens in just in case he needs to escape quick.

 

“-of course we’re getting our fucking asses beat!” One exclaims.

“We weren’t the only ones that let them get out” the other replies sounding a little more relaxed. The man snorts with a sarcastic laugh.

“Oh yeah for sure man we’re totally safe right now-“ the other man sighs in relief “we were meant to find a safe house and we almost got them killed!” The man shouts.

“Ok so maybe we’re in trouble, but what happens to our clan if they kill us huh, what I thought—they need us” the other says. Dean hears the creak of the couch as the one who’d been sitting down stands up.

“Don’t be a fucking dumbass they’ll find a replacement” the other snaps back.

“Hey I ain’t dumb alright, who comes up with all the good ideas?” The guy says.

“Exactly it was your brilliant idea that we chose that house in the first place” the other retorts.

“How was I supposed to know we were tailed by feds, they’re sneaky bastards and America ain’t exactly small, finding us was supposed to be like trying to find a needle in a haystack” The man argues.

As Dean had figured, they were taking about him and Cas. So these two had their own group of vamps? All interesting information but no real lead to the vamps that are important.

“How many times are we going to underestimate these guys before we’re killed?” The guy complains and the other huffs.

“Well as we wait they’ve got another guy on finding a place for the next conference” The guy says.

“That in the woods too?” The guy says with sass.

“Shut up and no actually they’re up in Minnesota in some fancy bed and breakfast” the guys says.

“How long they staying there for?” The other asks and Dean jogs his leg in impatience.

“A week or so, got to wait for some vamps to come up and meet them. They’re all skeptical about these feds and their little buddies called the men of letters, they aren’t saying anything just yet, think the boss wants to speak to them”

Dean can feel his feet dying under his legs but he couldn’t care, completely focused on hearing what he has to say.

“The boss, really?” The other guy says with shock.

“Well not up in Duluth no but they’ll be conversing soon, can’t let any secrets getting out so we might have to kill these guys” the vamp says.

“Thought we weren’t allowed to hurt the feds?” The other asks.

“Yeah but things are tense, word has spread and the others are less willing to keep that promise, especially if they know too much”

“Shit” Dean whispers and looks back at Cas who’s signaling he should come back.

 

Once safely in the car Dean lets out a loud exhale of breath and leans back on the seat. Castiel is waiting patiently for him to tell what he heard, he’s anxiously rolling up the earphones cable until it hits the small box that recorded everything.

“So?” Cas pushes as he waits.

“Man I could really use a burger” Dean mumbles as he starts up the car.

“Dean” Cas says sternly.

“We have a location-“ Dean gets out of his parking space and heads back up the road “-some fancy hotel or something up in Duluth, Minnesota. Apparently the men of letters aren’t talking about who caught them talking and the alpha seems pissed” he sums up.

“Is the alpha going to be there?” Cas asks and Dean shakes his head.

“No but we might be able to find out when we head out to Minnesota, we need to give these eyeballs to Rowena though so the spells ready, think we can summon her?”

“I believe so, she is a witch” Cas says “what else happened then?”

“Can we talk about this over food?” Dean asks. Cas nods but rolls his eyes.

 

They find a Burger King and head up to take a seat, it’s pretty busy but most people are preoccupied with food an each other so they won’t be heard.

“So you think the vampires will start killing us again?” Cas asks as he sips his coke. Dean shrugs and wipes his hands on a tissue.

“I don’t know how obedient they are but I think some are more than willing to sink their teeth into our necks” Dean says and picks up his burger, taking a big bite.

“We’ll have to keep a look out then” Cas says and Dean nods.

Both enjoy their lunch of burgers and fries and after that they find themselves a hotel to stay in for the witch call.

“Why couldn’t she just give us her number” Dean complains as he lights a match. Castiel had just finished saying the chant.

“Because she’s annoying” Cas says and points to the bowl so he’ll drop it in.

Within a second of it catching alight Rowena appears on the other side of the table with her permanent smirk.

“Afternoon boys” she says and looks around “I’m guessing you got the sirens eyes, hand them over” she says and puts out her hand.

Dean and Cas exchange a look before Dean hands over the brown paper back with the eyes inside.

“Anything else you need?” Castiel asks and she gets out her list.

“Vampire blood, the rest I’ve got handled” she says with a smile “so how’s things?” She asks and takes a seat at the table, grimacing at the blood that was still in a container.

“Doing ok I guess, you talked to your friend about the gate?” Dean asks with his hands in his pockets, still skeptical about the witch.

“Yes I have” she says with a meek smile, Dean raises his eyebrows and Cas crosses his arms. She rolls her eyes “He’s quite hard to negotiate with, more out for himself than anything so to do something as risky as opening purgatory...well” she for once looks a little nervous but it seems put on.

“Is this guy going to do it?” Castiel asks sternly and she clears her throat.

“I’m winning him over” she says simply and the other to nod slowly.

“Well off you go, zap over and convince him because we’re getting closer to the alpha and his cronies so we need this spell ready alright?” Dean says and she nods.

“See you around my dears” and with that she vanishes once more leaving them to sigh heavily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I’m getting worse at the updates.  
> I’ve been really busy and that means I’m tired af so writing is like the last thing on my mind  
> I hope you liked it though, comments and kudos are amazing btw!!


	24. Chapter twenty-four

“Why an earth would we want to stop the vampires?” She asks Rowena who smiles.

“They’re stirring things up and you know it, they’re mingling with witches, so what will stop them playing with demons, they’re stepping out of place especially with this men of letters deal.”

Ruby smirks, the demon behind her is saying nothing not seeming to waste his breath on the conversation.

“They’re nothing compared to us, you witches have these problems because you’re weak.” she snaps and Rowena coughs politely.

“Whose spells are you always using? Centuries of witch craft have gotten you where you are now so don’t question my authority.” Rowena replies.

“Enough of this” The other says and Ruby closes her eyes with a sigh.

“All I ask is your assistance for retrieving certain ingredients, what you get in return is the end of the rather tiresome reign of the alpha vampire, he’ll return to purgatory and everything will go back to how it was before.” Rowena says ignoring the big headed demon in front of Rowena who’s sighing and flicking her hair.

“And this will require helping two...humans, hunters at that.” he snarls and she sighs.

“Federal agents.” she corrects.

“Glorified hunters, they want us a dead and now they want our help?” He says.

“Your safety is promised in this deal, look at the bigger picture you want all this control-“ she rolls her eyes “-then one big player off the table will help your cause.” she smiles and watches him think.

Ruby with shock turns to him with her arms raised “You can’t be seriously considering-“

“Quiet” he says sternly and walks round her to face Rowena who’s got a head held high.

“And they won’t attempt to kill us?” He asks and she nods.

“Nothing to be afraid of, We’ll keep meetings between you and them to a minimal.” she says sweetly. He looks a little pissed at the comment but says nothing.

“Hmm... If you step out of line-“ she only smiles “-...what do you require?”

Ruby splutters behind him but all Alistair does is shake Rowena’s hand.

 

**************************

“Hopefully we won’t end up almost dying again, the wedding’s coming up soon and we have to be able to dive over to California.” Dean says as he bites into the apple pie, plastic rustling as he eats noisily.

“We have to cause the least amount of noise. All of this is illegal and potentially life threatening so yes it’s vital we get out of this.” Cas says bluntly.

Dean huffs and chucks the wrappers onto the bag in the back seat. It’s not far until they get into Duluth but night is approaching meaning they have less time to find these vampires. They might not even hear anything vital so it’s all a little vague, especially with no other help apart from a rejected witch and one tech guy.

“Think we can pull this off?” Dean asks. Cas doesn’t reply straight away, a deep frown on his face.

“It’s hard to tell, I believe we have more of a chance at failing than succeeding, I’m not sure though.” Cas says.

“Well glad you believe in us” Dean jokes but feeling just as uncertain.

They check into a Hotel Six, the room is decent and much cleaner than most and the cooling system actually works, especially with the heat of summer approaching.

Dean gets out his phone and dials up Charlie who takes a while to answer.

“You know how late it is?” She complains the second she answers.

“Charlie it’s ten on a Friday night, I know you have a gaming session till one in the morning so don’t pull that one” he retorts but with a smile.

“Ok fine, but I’m busy so what’s up” She grumbles into the phone, the sound of fake gunfire in the back.

“Well we’re up in Duluth and I just wanted to say we’re trying to get some intel tomorrow, we’d like a little assistance and since we haven’t got federal equipment with us, we’ll need an alternative source.” Dean says,

She sighs “Fine. You’re lucky I’m not working tomorrow, you’ll need to install some cameras and microphones- _Kevin what the fuck was that_ \- we don’t know when this meeting is and as you’ve told me, this is a hotel so there’s lots of other people there.” her words are unfocused, clearly she’s very into the game.

“Ok thanks, we’ve got some of that with us so we should be cool, I’ll call you around five tomorrow so we have time before the staff are up, that cool?”

“Yeah that’s chill man- _you’re a fucking bastard_ ” she snarls suddenly.

“What’d I do” he asks with a cocked eyebrow, getting a questionable glance from Cas who’s making coffee.

“Not you dumbass, just this fucking noob” she says with annoyance.

“Ah ok-“ he has no idea what that means “-we’ll give that noob what he has coming ok?”

“You fucker” She snarls quietly, not noticing him.

“Ok Charlie nice chat, talk tomorrow!” He says with a smile and hanging up the phone to her who hasn’t noticed.

“What’s a noob?” Cas asks and Dean shrugs.

“Don’t ask me, probably some new slang or something” he says.

“Huh, never knew Charlie was with the kids” Cas says and Dean looks back at him with a cringe.

“Where the fuck you get that from?” He asks and Cas looks slightly offended.

“I don’t know...just heard it around” he mumbles and sips at his drink.

“Yeah well Charlie’s actually younger than us so...she’s a little more connected to this new generation or somthin’ “ Dean tries to explain.

“Huh” Cas says taking another sip “I’ll look it up” Cas says already looking over at his laptop case.

“Please don’t” Dean says with a frown.

 

**********************

 

“Ok ya’ll ready?” Charlie says through the ear piece as both men look up at the old styled house which is used as a bed and breakfast. The sun has begun to appear so they have to be careful.

“As we’ll ever be” Dean mumbles.

“Ok you know your entries and exits, try to be in for as short a time as you can” she says “I’ll know when the equipment is activated and working so get going.”

 

All the lights are out and through the old hatch to the basement they sneak into the dusty darkness.

“You think they have rats down here?” Dean whispers and even through the dark he can feel Cas’ deadpan look.

“That’s your biggest issue? We kill monsters, Dean.” Cas says bluntly.

“Well, they can crawl all over you and shit.” Dean mumbles with a shivers.

Cas rolls his eyes and heads up the stairs by the light of his torch.

Checking the keyhole for any outside light, the coast is clear so they get to breaking in. Cas picks the lock as Dean holds the torch and with some improvisation on a rusty bolt (Dean getting an old fire poker and pulling it off) they enter into the entry hall.

The basement leads out from under the stairs to a narrow hallway, there’s a small desk but the rest looks like a grand house with indoor plants and dark oak furnishings.

As quietly as possible they go to the chosen rooms they have a chance of hearing anything. They haven’t got a big amount of equipment so they have to be picky with where they put them all so they have enough.

They install them in: living rooms, dining rooms and with some ultimate stealth even some of the more private rooms where the people are sleeping, not sure if any are really vampires or not.

“Ok all cameras are active, now get out of there” she says.

And just when they think they’re safe they hear a small growl from just down the corridor.

They turn, flashing there lights to a small long haired little dog.

“Cas...” Dean says swallowing.

“Yes Dean.” Cas says just as speechless.

“Did you know there was a dog?” He asks, not knowing how to react.

“...no Dean” he whispers back.

Just then the dog lets out a long stream of high pitched yaps and charged at them, paws thudding lightly against the carpet.

“What do we do?” Dean asks with panic.

“I don’t know but he’s making a lot of noise” Cas says with panic.

“Guys what the fuck is happening?” Charlie asks.

“There’s a dog” Dean says and it starts to claw at their feet.

“What?!”

“A dog!” Dean shouts and puts his leg out to try and fling the rabid animal of his pants.

“A small dog...but a very vicious one” Cas says.

“Could use a little help here Cas” Dean pleads, not wanting to get bitten.

Cas grunts but bends down and tries pushing him away “he has a pretty hard grip Dean”

“You’re fucking telling me” Dean snaps.

Cas groping at the dog eventually turns the attention to him “Ow he bit me” Cas says sounding a little offended.

“Well hopefully you don’t get rabies” Dean says and tries to get the dog away.

“What do we do?” Cas shouts.

“I don’t know!” He shouts back, getting his gun out “do we shoot it?” He says with panic.

“No we don’t shoot a fucking dog Dean!” Cas exclaims hopping as tries to get him off.

“Oh my god” Charlie’s says.

“Fuck!” Dean shouts and grabs it, not helping since it starts on his face “oh hell no are you scratching this face!” He snarls,

“How the fuck, hurry Dean they’re all going to wake up!” Charlie shouts, seeing customers beginning to wake.

“Don’t pressure me!” He looks sprung “Uh” nothing just a corridor “uhhhh” he can’t see shit with thus crazy fucking dog attacking him.

“Hurry Dean!” Cas shouts.

“And Do what!” He shouts back,

“Guys someone’s going to the door!” She shouts.

“Fuck!” He shouts and flings the dog down the stairs.

After a whimper from the dog and some silence Cas goes “Dean what the fuck”

“What?” Dean says back still tense with an aching face.

“You just threw him down the fucking stairs”

“Who the hell are you guys?” Someone says and they look over to see a fat man wrapped in a gown that’s too small for him.

“Uhhh...house cleaning” Dean says after some silence, pocketing his gun.

“I think I’ll call the cops” he says a little stunned.

“Uh...Yeah I dunno, your choice” Dean says. The man nods “you don’t have a small dog by any chance right?”

“Dean” Cas whispers, tugging at his arm and they run down the stairs, ignoring the now quiet dog Dean had just barbarically thrown at a wall.

As quick as possible they sprint down to the basement and out through the hatch. In the car they sit for a second still out of breath,

“I think I killed a dog” Dean says quietly.

“I think you did” Cas says.

With a sigh Dean says “Let’s go to Wendy’s”

 

After patching themselves up from the violent attack they head out to Wendy’s which has hardly any people in except for a teenager munching in the corner sloppily.

“Only problem now is that we can’t find out for ourselves what they’re saying” Cas says as he chews on bacon.

“Well Charlie can find out and she can tell to us, maybe we can head back to Wichita, want my own bed back” Dean replies.

“Yes I guess, although only for a short time as there’s not only the wedding but also this alpha vampire meeting” Cas reminds him unhelpfully.

“Hopefully the vamps can hold out for the last days of this month” Dean says with a sigh.

“I doubt that, but the wedding is only a day or so, hopefully we still have some luck”

“We haven’t been lucky so far, his claws got pretty deep” Dean complains, his ankles and face are messy with cuts.

“You’re not the only one, that was a good pair of pants as well” Cas says thoughtfully.

“Never knew you were so fashion conscious.” Dean teases into his mug of coffee.

“To a certain degree I am” Cas defends.

Dean snorts and they continue to eat, now all they have to do is wait anxiously for any news from Charlie. The teenager stares at the backs of their heads the entire time.

Meanwhile Rowena grins wickedly as she watches Alistair handle a few of the last ingredients, demons blood and the flesh of hell hounds...and souls...lots and lots of souls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone even say noob anymore? I haven’t heard it in ages XD  
> Hope you enjoyed, Let me know what you think XD


	25. Chapter twenty-five

“Ok your computer is connected, you can now watch” Charlie says with a final tap of the enter button.

“Thanks, Charles” Dean says.

Charlie rolls her eyes at the name “No problem, the police had been around the place whilst I was connecting you, obviously nothing’s been stolen but the vamps must be suspicious, they’re not stupid.”

“Yeah you’re right, don’t worry, we’ll be careful. Thanks for the help” Dean replies.

“No problem just catch those bad guys, I guess I’ll see you at the wedding.” Charlie replies.

“Yeah see you around” Dean says and then he hangs up.

“So what now?” Cas asks, watching one of the screens showing the sitting room.

“We wait” Dean says and leans back.

Wait is what they did, they waited and waited, watched and watched until finally something interesting happened whilst they were finishing up their early dinner.

“Huh check it out” Dean says and clicks on the camera, maximizing the image whilst Cas finishes slurping up his coke.

There, sitting at a little secluded areas of the living room, sits three of the known vampires along with a couple of others.

“Did you bug it?” Cas asks and Dean nods.

“Yep just gotta get it up-“ he clicks on a few tabs and then turns up the volume “there we go” he mumbles and both watch the screen intently.

 

“He’s not happy” a man says, his hair slicked back and his face sharp in a mean glare.

“No one is” the woman they’d heard back at the house in the woods. She seems anxious but she holds her shoulders high.

The man sighs and looks down at his enclosed hands “you and your clan said you could handle it” he says and looks up.

She leans forward “we can and we did—“

“Which is why two agents snuck in and caught valuable information?”

She sighs deeply and rolls her eyes “I was assured the spot was safe” she says “I admit things went wrong but that does not mean we’re not capable of carrying on” she says.

“Yes you’re right it went terribly wrong and now they’re too close for comfort” he says “your clan is top spot because you pledged to be the best of the best, he believed you were capable and not only is he in jeopardy but so are you and your clan’s lives” he scolds in a harsh whisper.

Both her and the man next her look stunned “you can’t be serious...” She says, worried.

“Perfectly serious, you know what would happen if you failed” he says.

“It wasn’t even me, two dimwits were the ones who found the safe house and I plan on punishing them for messing up so majorly, do not punish us all” she pleads.

“You assigned them the jobs to find a house correct?” He asks and she shrugs hesitantly. The man leans forward with a grin “that makes you part of this too, if they’re so stupid why an earth did you assign them such an important job in the first place?”

She’s stunned into silence but nods “it was a mistake, I apologize”

“You’ll still meet the alpha like the others but after that...we’d have already figured out what to do about you”

“Yes” she says sternly and looks back up to him,

“We expect you there a day earlier in Colorado Aspen it’s secluded and the alpha has a mansion further out of town, be there on the second of August is that clear?” He asks.

“Yes sir”

“Then that’ll be all for now” he says and then they get up, quietly saying goodbye.

“I won’t let you down” she whispers and he only looks down at her, unimpressed by her desperation.

 

Dean takes out his ear phones and watches as they leave “second of August then” he looks over at Cas.

“At least it won’t get in the way of the wedding right?” Castiel says.

Dean snorts and switched off the computer when the vamps disappear from sight “we need to drive over soon, long trip”

“We need to talk with Rowena, see if she’s made any progress” Castiel says.

“Shall we call her?” Dean asks.

Castiel nods “you have her number”

Dean gets up his contacts and finds Rowena, he clicks call and waits.

“Who’s speaking?” Rowena asks.

“It’s Dean” he replies.

“Ah Dean Winchester what a surprise, I assume this is for your case”

Dean doesn’t like her overly sweet voice directly in his ear but he carries on “We wanna know what progress you’ve made with this friend of yours”

“The deal is done, he has agreed and has already given me the ingredients to open the gate, now all we need is the right place at the right time” she says.

“What do you mean time?” Dean asks exchanging a glance with Cas.

“Well you can’t just do this on any old night, the moon must be at midnight and the sky must be clear otherwise the spell won’t work”

“But why though? Fucking spells man” Dean grumbles.

“Calm down Dean, some spells only work on the day they were created and the weather does have a very big effect in witches’ magic, you want this to work it has to be exact”

“So we’re just going to have to pay attention for the forecasts all the time now?” Dean complains.

“Dean you are opening a gate to purgatory, a door that hasn’t been opened since it was created so yes, pay attention to the bloody forecast” Rowena snaps.

Dean clears his throat and nods “Fine, I’ll keep the radio on” he mumbles.

“Thank you Dean, now have you got a date” she asks.

“Second of August in Colorado Aspen, some mansion apparently” Dean says.

“Alright, I’ll find us a nice place to stay and I’ll send you the address, good luck with your wedding”

“How do you-“

Dean ends up talking to a dial tone.

“Bitch” he mumbles and puts it down “she’s got the ingredients, she’ll meet us in Aspen” Dean says.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After watching the vampires head out of town in their fancy cars they head back to the B&B to take away all the equipment. Dean is pleased to find the dog he’d kicked snoozing in front of the fire with only a little bandage around his leg.

“Glad I’m not an animal killer too, then” Dean murmurs to himself as he continues flashing the torch at the camera in the corner.

“Dean” Castiel whispers when he comes round the corner “you finished?”

“Just this last one” Dean says and points at it. “Also, check it out” Dean says and points his light at the dog.

Castiel snorts and shakes his head “I’ll keep watch, hurry up”

 

  
The next morning they set off early for home, they haven’t been into work for a long time but they haven’t gotten any calls for an early return and Charlie says rules have become tighter (no instant noodles apparently) so Dean isn’t really running back.

“So we’ll be there before the wedding for rehearsals obviously” Dean says as they speed down the highway.

“What will we be doing?” Castiel asks.

“Well, I’m best man so…” Dean looks over with a smirk.

Castiel smiles back “It’s already gotten to your head” Cas jokes.

“It has not, I’m just excited” Dean says not being able to control the smile no his face.

“That’s understandable” Castiel says.

“Yeah, I already have some of the speech written, look” Dean fiddles with the glove compartment until he comes across a folded piece of notepaper.

Castiel takes it and unfolds it, reading the first part of the speech “Who would’ve known nervous little Sammy who couldn’t even ask a girl out has finally gotten married…that’ll embarrass him Dean” Castiel has a worried frown on his face.

Dean snorts “Don’t you know how weddings work?” Dean gives Cas one look and he already knows “course not. You’re supposed to embarrass them a little bit, drag up some old childhood memories, it’s the whole point”

“I don’t understand” Castiel looks even more confused now.

Dean rolls his eyes “Look, marrying someone is a big part of someone’s life so you gotta…recollect on things” Dean tries to explain. 

“Oh I see, still though is embarrassment really necessary?” Castiel asks.

Dean snorts “Yes, gotta have some entertainment, Cas.”

“Will I have to make a speech?” Castiel asks.

“No of course not, have you never heard how weddings go?” Dean asks.

“I understand weddings as they are but I’ve never known the event” Castiel is still scanning the speech.

“I guess the rehearsal will be useful then, you won’t have to do anything though so don’t worry about that” Dean gives him a smile and Cas returns a small one. 

“We should find a motel soon, day’s almost up” Dean says.

“Fine by me” Castiel says.

“Pick a tape” Dean says pointing to the box, still with a smile.

 

“Rise and shine, sunshine” Dean says rubbing Cas’ shoulder.

Castiel grunts awake, a red mark on his forehead where he leant against the car window “What?”

“We’re home, well you are” Dean says.

“Ah” Cas tries to stretch in the confines of the car, shoulders popping.

“Sleep well?” He jokes.

“Very” Cas says leaning back.

They stare at each other smiling for a bit “shall I get your stuff out?” Dean asks, interrupting the silence.

They both blush at the staring contest “yes”

Dean passes over Cas’ duffle and they head to Cas’ door “Would you like to come inside?” Castiel asks.

Dean grins, wiggling his eyebrows “So forward Cas, I love coming inside” Dean jokes.

Castiel just stares at him with a frown “What was that?” Cas asks.

Dean rolls his eyes wide but gives him a quick kiss on the lips “How have you gone into life so naive Cas?” He asks but lightly, cupping the man’s face for a second.

“I…” Castiel still looks puzzled.

“Never mind, don’t worry your pretty little head” Dean kisses his forehead making both of them blush.

“A head can’t be pretty Dean” Castiel comments unhelpfully.

“Well yours can be, now take the compliment and go inside” Dean says and then smiles.

“So you’re not coming in?” Cas asks.

Dean shakes his head “we both need sleep, won’t be getting any if I stay” Dean says and winks.

Castiel chuckles, unlocking the door “got that one huh Cas” Dean says.

“Guess I’m not completely naive as you say” Castiel says, his cheeks remaining flushed.

“Night Cas” Dean says, going forward for one last kiss which he savours “I’ll come round tomorrow” Dean says with a smile.

“I’ll be waiting” Castiel murmurs to him, still close.

Dean chuckles ruffles his hair before stepping back “Bye Cas”

“Night” Castiel replies both still not moving “I should…”

“Yeah, yeah course” Dean gives an awkward wave and steps back to the car.

Both are still smiling like idiots until both back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys happy new year!! Hope you all have a good 2018 and you enjoy this chapter!


	26. Twenty-six

Dean is practically vibrating with happiness as he sits on one of the low couches located in the waiting area. Castiel is next to him trying to free as much of his skin as acceptable.

“This is a nice place to have a wedding.” Dean says thoughtfully looking at the wooden decor of the reception.

Sam and Jess are currently signing in at the desk to go and check where they want everything and how everyone will be set up.

“I wouldn’t know.” Castiel says.

Dean rolls his eyes but he’s too happy to snap. Unlike Cas, who’s still complaining, Dean isn’t really bothered by the heat yes it’s quite stifling but there’s air conditioning and despite only permanently living there for about four years, Dean’s still remembers the heat of Kansas.

“I wonder how much it costs.” Dean wonders.

Jess calls his name so they both get up head to the door. A woman in tan knee length shorts is waiting for them with a big smile.

“Afternoon ladies and gentlemen” she says “so where’s the happy couple?” She asks.

“Us.” Sam says holding Jess close.

“Aww.” she says sappily and the couple blushes. “This is a brilliant place to have a wedding I have to admit.” she says her cheeks seem burned Dean observes. “Right, shall we head out?” She asks.

The woman, named Beth, is up front with Sam and Jess talking about the ordering of flowers and other wedding things and when they’ll be here.

“How do they live here?” Castiel complains.

“Hey. if you’re going to keep complaining...” Dean says looking down at the man.

“No I’m sorry...just don’t do well in the heat.” Castiel mumbles.

Dean rubs at his lower back with a smile “Well if it’s any consolation...I love seeing you all sweaty” Dean whispers with a wink.

Cas shakes his head but chuckles “That was horrible.”

“Wasn’t a lie though” Dean says staring at the exposed part of his chest where his shirt is buttoned low. The tan skin glisten with sweat and Dean licks his lips.

They’ve been in California for almost week, the wedding is on the Saturday, so they’ve both caught the sun quite a bit.

“You could never have sex outdoors here.” Castiel comments.

Dean lets out a loud bellow of laughter and slaps Cas’ back. “The fuck, Cas.” he says the others look back at them curiously. “Sorry.” Dean says.

Sam is looking at them suspiciously but Jess turns him around.

“Didn’t think you’d know about outdoor sex.” Dean says.

“I’m not that stupid, and you remember what I told you about my brother? He’s got dirtier jokes than you so it’s hard not to figure a few things out...I tend to ignore him though.”

“No one makes dirtier jokes than me.” Dean argues.

Castiel smiles. “I doubt it’s such an achievement.”

“If your brother is anything like you say he is, he’d have to disagree with you.” Dean retorts.

Castiel shakes his head. “You two should never meet.”

Dean chuckles and without the others looking kisses Cas’ sweaty head.

 

Looking at the currently empty clearing Dean feels his heart beat and his breath slow in one finally long exhale.

He hasn’t forgotten his dream and although he knows the nightmare is like any other he’d had Dean’s still feels...unsettled.

“Dean.” Sam says, standing at the other end. “The arch will be somewhere here, remember we showed you pictures?” Sam says, cheeks still red from the heat but smiling all the same.

“Yeah I remember.” Dean says digging his fingers into the skin of his hand before releasing and walking forward.

“And we’re going to have flowers all around it” Jess says looking at the blank area with delight.

“It’s gonna look great” Beth says clapping her hands “everything will be set up hours before you get here, the groom can always double check as you get ready, it’ll be perfect.”

They all start giggling at each other after that and Dean shakes his head.

 

“I’m so excited!” Charlie says through the phone as she waits for her gate to open. “I can’t believe my plane has been delayed, what are you doing, God?!” She exclaims.

“You’re fine you’ve still got a whole day before the hen night.” Dean says.

“Holy shit! I have so much planned, hopefully Jess’ friends aren’t all suburban moms she met whilst power walking.” Charlie jokes.

“What are you planning?”

“Male strippers, for the girls obvs, we going to all the clubs Jess has a list of em’ and we’ll get free drinks because one, Jess is pretty as fuck and two, you get free drinks on hen nights sometimes”

“Sounds like fun. I dunno if Jess is the type though.” Dean comments.

“She’s only sweet around you because you’re her fiancé’s brother.” Charlie says.

Dean chuckles “That’s fair, what are you gonna be doing whilst the Male strippers are there?” Dean asks and watches as Castiel quickly wraps up a wedding present “Why didn’t you tell me I needed to get a gift!” “I forgot!”

“No worries I’ll be with my drinks, maybe hit on a girl or two and wait for the men to go away and we’ll carry on.” Charlie says.

“What a sacrifice could’ve come with us no men in thongs for us.” Dean says.

Castiel glares at Dean but the other man just ruffles his hair “Yo, Cas how are you feeling about the female strippers?” Charlie asks through the speaker.

Cas shrugs “Don’t really have a preference.” Castiel says.

Dean snorts “Best way to be I guess.” Charlie says.

“Well Cas would never know since he’s never been in a strip club before” Dean says playfully and getting a smack on the arm.

“No way!” Charlie says “How?!”

“We will never know.” Dean says grinning at the heavy blush on Cas’ face.

“I think that’s a good thing, those places are horrible.” Charlie says.

“Yeah whatever, Charlie he’s coming with us though” Dean says.

“What are you going to do? But you’re a married man Dean!” She exclaims.

“Shut up me and Cas ain’t going do anything…or anyone” Dean winks at Castiel who rolls his eyes.

“Alright, my gate just opened I gotta go” she says.

“See you soon” Dean says and hangs up.

Dean ends up quietly watching Cas wrap a gift which was some old looking fantasy novel. “Where did you even find this old thing?”

“It’s not that old Dean.” Castiel corrects. “And I got it at the old bookshop, remember?”

“Oh yeah, where I had an asthma attack because of all the dust.” Dean says leaning against the headboard of their bed.

“You’re so dramatic there was only a little bit of dust” Casitel says observing his nicely wrapped gift.

“Whatever Sam will like the book, he’s such a nerd.” Dean says.

“Ways the man who’s watched every Star Wars movie.” Castiel says calmly and getting up to put the gift next to Dean’s on the dresser.

“Hey loads of people watch Star Wars who aren’t nerds.” Dean says with a pout sitting on the edge of the bed.

Castiel walks up to him with a smile and holds his face “Stop pouting. At least you’re a cute nerd.”

Dean blushes bright red and gets out of Cas’ nice hands “Wasn’t pouting anyway.” Dean glares and Castiel chuckles.

 

**************

“Dean?”

“What”

“What will we do when the strippers are there?”

Dean looks down at Castiel in the dark with a frown “Where’d that come from?”

Castiel shrugs and turns onto his back staring up at the ceiling “You might be drunk right?”

At first Dean has no idea what he’s talking about a deep frown is etched on his face. Then he really thinks about it and he starts to feel a little hurt “You think I’d cheat on you because I’d be drunk?”

Casitel notices he’s taken offence and quickly sits up as well “No I didn’t mean it like that, I…” he looks away “I don’t know what I meant. I think I’m just nervous.”

Dean lets out a breath and turns him to give a deep kiss.

He pulls away and stares at him “I’d never do that I mean, for starters, it takes a lot to get me drunk anyway and I’m like…old, not really into the whole strippers and booze thing anymore.”

Castiel smiles “But you were into those sort of things when we met. I remember you always called me boring for not liking those things.”

“That was before you Cas” Dean says holding the man’s head closely.

Castiel hums at the compliment holding him in return pushing Dean down so they can sleep “You’re not old by the way Dean.”

Dean chuckles “I am, all I do is complain.”

“That is true, you ranted about a bunch of teenagers for about half an hour today.” Castiel says into his chest.

“See? Maybe I should retire now give these old bones a break.” Dean replies.

Castiel laughs “I’m dating an old man.”

Dean laughs too and then kisses his head.

“I’m sorry I doubted your fidelity, Dean.” Castiel says suddenly.

“Don’t worry. I guess I give off that vibe.” Dean says.

Castiel leans up to look him in the eyes “No you don’t. I’m just insecure, I guess” he smooths over his chest “You’re a good man, Dean.”

“Thank you, but I think you bring out the best in me.” Dean blushes at the comment, feeling like that was a slip, he doesn’t take it back it is true after all.

Casitle smiles brightly like he’s never really done before “I’m not sure about that.”

“Well, I am so take my word for it.” Dean says.

They’re both blushing hard right now but luckily it’s hard to tell thanks to midnight. Castiel drops down onto Dean snuggling in with a smile “Goodnight, Dean.”

“’Night, Cas.” Dean says.

It takes Dean a while to get to sleep after that. He’s happy but he feels worried or maybe scared is the right word.


End file.
